Trouble in Suna
by crucialkiller
Summary: She was forced into an arranged marriage due to a promise she made long ago but when she arrives to meet her future husband words were exchange which can not be taken back so easily. When she starts to fall for a man that would never love her back she has no choice but to leave but little does she know she carrying his unborn child. Slight AU, GaarXOC
1. What was, What is, and What is to Come

**Prologue**

Warm hands roamed over the petite body, earning a small moan from the girl as she threw her head back, her eyes were half lidded in pleasure. Her fingers clutched the sheets as her lover's lips moved to her neck, sucking her so tenderly earning another moan and plea from the girl, this time in the form of a name.

"Gaara please.." she moaned.

The man above her chuckled against her neck, sending sweet shivers down her spine. He pulled away from her neck to stare into her mismatched eyes and also take in the sight below him. Pulling her hands from the sheets and bringing them to his mouth, "Keiko, I won't know what you want unless you tell me clearly", he murmured while kissing her hands gently. He watched her with a heated expression waiting for an answer, still continuing to kiss her delicate hands.

Her body was aching with need, she wiggled against him trying to persuade him, a darker blush forming on her face.

He grabbed her waist with one hand to stop her movement, "Keiko, tell me" he murmured again, this time nipping one of her fingers.

"I neeeeddd, I waaaant you, pleasse Gaara plllease" she pleaded with the man, tears forming in her eyes.

"Good girl" he murmured, kissing her hands one more time before he slipped inside of her, sheathing himself inside her warmth. She whimpered at the sudden intrusion and more tears formed in her eyes from the sweet pain and pleasure he gave her. She then squeezed her eyes shut from the pure embarrassment.

He leaned down his eyes now dark with lust and slowly lapped away her tears. He then hovered over her mouth, running his tongue along her lips seeking entrance, unable to gain entrance he pulled out and thrusted himself back into the delicious heat.

She gasped and he took advantage, his mouth meshed with hers roughly, his tongue entering the moist cavern to taste her. He slowly began to move earning more whimpers and moans while he continued to taste her. After a few minutes, her small hands begin pounding against his back letting him know she needed air.

He broke away from her lips and moved back to the girl's neck, moving his hands to the girl's shoulders, pressing her down harder against the bed. She moaned louder, tilting her head to the side allowing him better access. She felt so good as he began kissing her neck and he started to move faster within her. She felt so wrong but felt so good at the same time, she couldn't ever imagine herself doing this with him a year ago.

A year ago she was forced into an arranged marriage due to a promise she made long ago. When told to marry this man she didn't object and treated it like a mission but she didn't expect to grow feelings for this man. Never did she imagine she would fall in love with him, it wasn't supposed to be like this. It was wrong, she wasn't supposed to have feelings like this because all she would be left with was pain.

She didn't know why she loved him, she couldn't understand it but she would never tell him she loved him. He deserved better than her perhaps that Matsuri girl would take her place after she left, they did love each, after all she had witnessed it with her own eyes. The two had kissed but he had pushed her away saying he had a wife now. The thought that she was never the one he loved but just a replacement for the one he did love sadden her. But he and Matsuri would have a chance to be together once again since this would be the last time they would be together, tomorrow she would fake her own death. After all, she witnessed who he loved with her very own eyes, and if she stayed she would continue to get in between their love, she had no right to since their marriage was a fake from the beginning. This would just be a very good memory for her, a memory of what it meant to be human.

This thing they did, always started with fighting, it was not like the thing others called it, making love but something different. She wasn't quite sure what it was called but it was definitely not making love. The argument which had led to this had started when she said she was participating in the fight with the other shinobi in the village. He didn't want her fighting telling her she was his wife and her place was now at home and in the future with their kids not on the battlefield where she could get hurt. He had pushed her on the bed informing her she would take no part in the fight that she would listen to him for once and stay home like a good wife and to wait for him to come home.

She used to run from this, this thing that just the two of them shared but now she craved his touch but she would never admit it. It felt good when he touched her, she had never experienced what he did to her with another but she was still confused at what point she started to fall for him since the very first day he was a complete and utter dick to her. But still she fell in love with him and when they did this she felt like he only belonged to her and no one else. He loved his people, loved his siblings, loved Matsuri, and he pitied her.

She wanted him to look, think, and crave only her but she knew she could never have it but this thing they shared created a false idea he only belonged to her and no one else but tomorrow she was leaving this all behind. Her heart felt like it would break into a million pieces at the thought of leaving him but it was better than staying. He loved another that was not her and staying here would only bring her more pain.

She moved her hands up running them through his silky red locks, pulling him closer to her. She liked his hair and especially liked touching it when she could without him thinking she was odd. The kissing slowly began to become gentle nips which progressed into harder nips. The pain caused her to moan, she wanted more and tried to move closer to him. Mating with him was not gentle but rough and abusive but she craved it all the same.

He nipped at her ear playful eliciting more moans and whimpers from her. He was moving within her at a quick and steady pace but came to an abrupt stop within her pulling out so only the tip remained inside. She needed him back inside her, "Gaara, please" she hissed and pleaded and tried to push him back inside her but he held her down which only caused her to moan wantonly. She could feel him smirking against her skin which only agitated her, she just wanted him inside her again, to feel him again touching the places he could only reach.

He always did this to her, it was some sort of twisted game in which she always lost. "I'll continue if you….." he whispered in her ear causing her to tremble.

"What do you want?" she moaned out.

"Children" he whispered, licking and nibbling the shell of her ear.

"No" she growled out.

"No?" he questioned her biting down on her ear causing it to bleed. He lapped at the blood while waiting for her to respond differently. Her trembling got worse the longer he held back, he could feel her underneath him and it delighted him he could cause her to react so violently to his touches. He knew he would get his own way, he just needed to play the game right. Also, children would only tie her further to him, she wouldn't be able to escape him if she became pregnant. He and Shukaku could feel how flighty she became recently, ' **A mother pregnant with cubs can't go very far,** **boy** ' Shukaku chuckled in delight.

"Yes, I said no" she snarled which displeased both him and Shukaku.

"You'll get the rest as soon as you comply" he whispered again, tempting her by pushing in a bit further into her heat.

"No, I just…" she pleaded and moaned again.

"Ah, is that so? Then this is all for tonight" he said and pulled out of her which caused her to whimper. He started to get up and off of her. "Goodnight" he said.

"Wait, a…. agrh! All right! I get it! I'll do it! So just…!" she shrieked flipping her position so her stomach laid flat against the bed and her face was now hidden in the pillow. She didn't want him to see her face, more tears were welling up in her eyes. Why did he always make her do unfair stuff? It wasn't fair, she didn't want to promise him that when she would only be leaving him tomorrow. The idea of him wanting children with her made her want to believe he loved her but she knew better, the council wanted children, not Gaara.

The thought was short lived when she felt him over her again, the heat radiating from his body onto her bare back. He was now hovering over her, his hands on either side of her body. He started laying kisses down her back starting from her neck, "You'll do what" he questioned her, his breath fanning against her skin causing goose bumps.

"I'll have… your your children" she hiccupped.

"Mhhh… Then I have no choice but to continue" he said smiling against her skin. It pleased him and Shukaku that she complied, for a moment he was worried she didn't want to have his children. ' **Cubs** ' Shukaku murmured excitedly in the recesses of his mind.

He pulled her up so she was kneeling forward her ass in the air and with his hands he spread her legs apart. He savored the scene before him licking his lips before plunging back into her warmth. She let out an audible hiss when he entered her.

He thrusted in and out of her while biting and nipping at her back leaving his marks on her. If anyone saw them there would be no mistake that she belonged to another. He thrusted in again, "Ahh! Wait… Not there… Feel weirds!" she moaned.

He thrusted again in the same spot, "Weird?" he said in husky voice when he felt her tighten around him when he struck that spot.

"Ahh! Wait! No…" She moaned again when he did it again. He smiled, 'a spot to remember' he thought and pushed forward, again and again, ramming against the spot that caused her to tighten and quiver around him.

"Stop it Gaara!" she yelled and moaned. But he pretended he didn't hear her and continued to ravish her, alternating from gentle kisses to rough bites on her neck. He started to thrust even faster becoming even rougher, the gentle kisses becoming less frequent and the rough bites more frequent. She felt odd and didn't like it, this was different from all the other times they shared before and she began to squirm.

The moment she began to squirm in his grip she earned a throaty growl from him. He then quickly grabbed onto her left breast while his other hand kept a firm grip on her hips forcing her hips to meet his thrusts while his other hand played roughly with her breast. He pinched her nipple hard when she started struggling harder against him. The pleasure and pain caused her to squeal underneath him which encouraged him to do it again. She was unsure what to do, she wanted to escape but it felt so good, the pleasure was pooling in her gut the more he moved inside her.

She started to moan loudly nonstop as she felt the pooling pleasure begin to coil inside, she was almost there. By the time she knew what was happening through the pleasurable haze, he had stopped and flipped her over. She tried to close her legs but he kept them apart staring into her eyes. She noticed the lust in his eyes and blushed a brighter hue of red if that was possible right now due to his intense staring.

"I want to see your face when you come undone by me" he whispered before nestling himself back into her heat. He reignited her tightly coiled pool of pleasure and captured her lips. His thrusting became faster and rougher while he plunged his tongue in her mouth fighting her for dominance. It was not long before her pleasure exploded causing her to arch her spine closing the gap between their bodies.

She raked her nails down his back as her entire body shook and trembled with her climax. She didn't understand what was happening but it felt so good yet so wrong. She felt both excited and frightened at the same time.

Her body clench around him causing his thrusting to become erratic as his own orgasm closed in. He eventually climaxed within her heat and she felt something warm and sticky fill her insides when he collapsed on top of her. The feeling of the substance which filled her elicited another throaty moan from her and eventually, her moans and screams died down as she came down from her pleasure high. The screams and moans which were the only sounds that came from her throat moments before were then replaced with her labored breathing.

He felt her bare chest rise and fall against his own and felt immensely pleased knowing that he had satisfied her. He too felt intensively satisfied, and he realized if she were to disappear from his side one day he would be completely lost without her. Her touch, her voice, her smile, and tears were all things he needed but there was one thing she had yet to give him which he wanted desperately. He wanted her to tell him she loved him but she had yet confessed to him even after all the times they made love. He told her countless times that he loved her but she had failed to say the words back. If she said those three simple words to him he would not be so restless and the only solution he could think of which would calm his heart was getting her pregnant with is children. Children would bind her to him so that she could never leave him.

She was having trouble keep her eyes open, the darkness was threatening to consume her vision. The last thing she saw was the man above her, her cyan eyes staring into her very soul. His face looked so content as he stared into her eyes but she also detected another emotion present. He looked worried, and she wondered if he had any idea she was leaving him but of course he wouldn't she had told no one what she planned on doing.

Before the darkness consumed her, she heard Gaara's husky voice, "You'll be a good mother, Keiko". The words somehow comforted her but deep down she knew she would never be the mother of his children.

* * *

Present day

She woke up crying and she cradled her head in arms and drew her legs up to her chest. Why did she always have the same dream and why couldn't she forget him, it had already been 7 years since she left him that day. She clutched the locket which hung from her neck and rubbed the surface with her thumb. Before she could think about it anymore she heard the pitter patter of feet on the floor outside her bedroom before the door to her bedroom was flung open. There stood a young boy no older than 6.

When he saw his mother crying he came running to her side, "mommy, mommy why are you crying again?" he asked. When she looked at him he reminded her of his father, the only exception was his eyes, he had inherited her eyes.

"A bad dream I guess" she whispered pulling her son into her lap, hugging him like he was going to disappear on her one day. It was unfair of her to keep him from his father but this was her son. She had no desire to share her son with another woman. It wasn't unreasonable, Gaara had Matsuri and possibly had other children by now so it was only fair she got to keep her son to herself.

"A dream huh? You are too old to be upset over a dream." He said staring up at her. "Come on, I'm hungry" he said after a few seconds and when she didn't let go he began to squirm in her arms.

"Alright, Alright" she said letting him go. He jumped down off the bed and ran only to stop in the doorway to look back at her waiting to see if she was going to follow him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. I'll be right there" she said and saw him smile when she began getting out of the bed and she couldn't help but smile back. She was happy with this, she couldn't ask for more than this and trailed after her son.


	2. Trouble in Suna

_She sat perfectly still, 'Why was I called here? I am just trash to the Kinjo clan, when have I been deemed worthy to sit among clans' heads in front of their God. What are they up to?' she thought bitterly._

 _Instead of being entirely ignorant to her situation, she listened, and she felt two charka signatures which were unfamiliar to her, they were not from the Village Hidden in the Rain. She also noted their heartbeats were erratic; they were nervous or scared she presumed._

 _'Only reasonable to be frightened when you are entering ex-enemy lands still unsure if they are friend or foe', she reasoned but she needed to know exactly who they were and what their end goal was and how it included her._

 _In order to find the identities to the two mysterious guests she listened to those in the room, their whispers, the scratches of their pens, and every gesture they made, no spoken secret could be hidden from her. Soon their identities would be revealed and such information was revealed to her by a geezer from the Michizoe Clan. He was a scribe beginning his notes, how perfect. She listened to the scratches of his pen on paper._

 _'aww…Councilmen from Suna….Why was the Village Hidden in the Sand making an appearance here and what did that have to do with me?' Then a hush fell over the crowd, their God had appeared. Then a voice she knew all too well spoke._

 _"God, we humbly offer Keiko Kinjo to be the wife of Kazekage, it would honor us deeply" spoke the head of the Kinjo clan. An eerie silence took the room as the clansmen awaited the reply of their God._

 _'So this wasn't the first meeting with Suna's councilmen, how careless of me to ignore the affairs of the clans within the village.' And like the two councilmen from Suna she held her breath waiting for God's answer._

 _Their God's voice broke the silence. The voice was emotionless and without hidden intentions, "You may proceed Takuma Kinjo as long as the councilmen from Suna deem Keiko Kinjo worthy of their Kazekage…. Keiko stand and present yourself to our guests."_

 _She stood slowly, her heart was broken but she would not shed any tears. She slowly proceeded to the front of the room to where the two council men from Suna sat. She walked down the center aisle, she could feel all eyes on her. She stopped before her God and the two councilmen from Suna._

 _Facing her God, she bowed with the grace of royalty, "Thank you God, you honor myself and my clan greatly by allowing my clan to submit me as a candidate for the Kazekage's wife, I hope our guests find me worthy." With a slight turn she now faced the councilmen from Suna and with another bow she spoke, "I am Keiko Kinjo a direct heir to the Kinjo Clan, it is a pleasure to finally meet councilmen from Suna. I hope I am everything you can hope for in a wife for the Kazekage."_

 _Eyes which watched the young women, now watched the two councilmen from Suna. Hours seemed to pass before they spoke, "We accept Keiko Kinjo as the future wife of the Kazekage."_

 _She heard their God turn around and begin to leave but halted to see what her answer was to the two councilmen from Suna. 'Konan had thrown me away like unwanted trash just like the rest of the village but if her last use for me was this then I will obey'._

 _She then spoke like the direct heir of the Kinjo Clan, "I thank you on behalf of the Kinjo Clan and will I fulfill the role as the wife of the Kazekage with the utmost honor." Her voice and her body language never hinted of the turmoil in her mind._

* * *

Keiko's POV

The desert hates me and I it as I looked into the distance at the never ending ocean of sand. The sun glared down at me casting an unbearable heat unto the land as well as me. I was sent into this godforsaken land without any supplies, neither food or water. Casting me out of the village without supplies was my last punishment from my clan. I was getting steadily weaker but it was not from the exposure to the elements and lack of supplies but the wounds they craved into my back for a last laugh.

My wounds refused to close and the sand had somehow managed to get into my wounds irritating them. I would have closed my wounds but I could not reach them so I would have to wait until they healed naturally. It was not only painful but uncomfortable.

I ignored the pain and studied the environment further. After further inspection I noticed everything in this godforsaken land is either wicked and warped or blasted and burned from the sun. Who would want to live here I wondered but I also lived in a place where it always rained, I assume the natives would say the same about my home, my old home I corrected myself. I sighed and pushed forward, I just wanted to sleep and also forget.

I halted my swift run to a lazy walk when the village was within sight. Besides the village being located in the middle of the desert I knew very little about the village except the stories I heard in my travels because I never been to the Land of Wind before, I had no reason to or any need to.

The stories I heard most on my missions about Suna all told of their fourth leader sealing the one-tailed beast into his newborn son. The father hoped for the ultimate weapon but instead he made his son into a monster. Eventually, the boy's father dies and the boy stops being a monster and somehow becomes the next Kazakage. However, almost all the stories vary as to way the Kazakage reformed from his murderous and monstrous ways.

The entrance to their village was a canyon, I licked my lips; they were chapped and painful. I could feel the chakra of many shinobi guarding the perimeter of their village. I felt a chakra signature speed towards me and I halted to a stop as a sand word was swung at my neck.

"State your intentions outsider" snapped a guard.

"I'm here to see the Kazekage." I rasped out, my throat was dry and extremely sore. My head was beginning to pound, I just wanted to rest and not deal with shinobi trying to intimidate me.

"State your business with the Kazekage" he spat. The blade inched closer to my neck.

"To" I began to speak until a loud female voice interrupted me.

"Keiko, you are earlier than we anticipated, but well that's not important anyway follow me. We are so happy you are here. Your luggage isn't here yet but." And she kept rambling on, "Well, it will arrive eventually. We can always go shopping to buy you new clothes. I almost forgot my name is Temari and I'm the older sister of the Kazekage, it's nice to finally meet you"

She finally went quiet and an awkward silence settled over us. We exited the canyon and she turn around, "Welcome to Suna, your new home". I could hear the smile in her voice but her words made my heart drop. This wasn't my new home it was my new prison, if they only knew.

"Are you bringing me to see the Kazekage" I asked my voice still raspy. I just wanted to rest.

"I thought it would be best if we brought you home, to get you settled in." she said in that cheerful voice again.

"It would be rude of me not to greet my future husband; it be best to see him first before heading home future sister-in-law." I said sweetly.

Would I always have to fake my speech and actions? This new prison of mine was much worse, here I was imprisoned in my own mind at least before I could say what I truly felt. Here I am and will feel like a living puppet.

Temari thought over the request and finally piped up, "Well, I suppose we'll greet the Kazekage first, I do not believe he is in any meetings currently." Temari went on describing the many shops and buildings we passed in great detail. I believe she thought I was blind due to the purple ribbon wrapped around my eyes.

We finally came to a stop outside a large tower, "This is the Kazekage's tower and if you are ever to get lost it is in the center of the village." Temari said then she went on and greeted the guards introducing me as a guest of the Kazekage.

After leading me inside of the building, Temari got real quiet as we ascended the spiral staircase to the Kazekage's office. Before we reach the door she spoke up one last time, "Before you meet your future husband, my brother I want to inform you about the arrangements which were made. I wanted to tell you at home but you must know before meeting him. The marriage is to improve Gaara's image and make Suna financially stable and not for peace as I assumed you were told because a clause was drawn giving your village protection a year ago" She paused and waited for my answer.

"I know" was the only reply I gave her. I assumed she made a face to my reply but she became quiet again. I knew all along as to why my village and even my clan readily agree to the marriage, they wanted me gone.

* * *

The two reach the door and instead of knocking Temari threw open the door, revealing two people in the office.

One sat on the couch to the right of the room tinkering with a doll while the other sat behind a desk writing or filling out documents. The man behind the desk did not raise his head or look up to acknowledge her presence but continued working on the paper in his hand which for an odd reason annoyed Keiko.

The man tinkering with the doll lifted his head and looked at her then at his brother, a grin forming on his face. He studied the woman who he believed was Keiko. She was quite different from what he expected and he guessed Temari thought the same.

She wore a black, oversized, armored raincoat which sported a black, long-sleeve top underneath. To match the color scheme, she wore black leather pants tucked in black, oversized rain boots. Her long straight black hair was pulled back in a braid. The last piece of clothing she wore he noticed was a purple ribbon wrapped around her eyes.

He also noticed her sickly pale skin which did not match the tan skin of the citizens in Suna. She was also much shorter than most in the village which gave her an almost delicate and fragile feeling about her. He kept staring at her, something felt off about her but if he stared any longer without introducing himself he would get yelled at Temari later for being rude.

He set his toy beside him, stood and made his way towards her to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm Kankuro, you must be Keiko. Well, if Temari didn't already inform you I'm Gaara older brother but Temari's younger brother." he said in a friendly voice while extending his hand towards her.

She took his offered hand and shook it. She never shook anyone's hand before so it was awkward and strange for her. "Yes, I'm Kinjo Keiko. It is a pleasure to finally meet Kankuro" she said in her sweet fake voice.

She turned toward the Kazekage, Gaara, and bowed slightly speaking again in that sweetly sickening voice, "It's a pleasure to meet Gaara-sama. I'm Keiko and I hope I can fulfill the role of your wife with the utmost honor."

She stayed slightly bowed awaiting his answer but he continued working on his document ignoring her existence. The annoyance she felt earlier was slowing beginning to turn into a boiling rage. After several moments without looking up he spoke.

"I want to be clear with you, don't entertain yourself with the idea I'll come to love you. This is a marriage for convenience, play your part, don't interfere in my work, and you may do as you please." His voice was cold and emotionless.

His sibling were not entirely shocked by their brother's words but were shocked by what came next. Keiko raised her head a sneer forming on her face.

"I'm glad I do not have to put up a fake façade in front of you, **dear.** You do not have to worry about me loving you, I will never love you."

"I'm glad you understand" he said in the same cold and emotionless voice.

"Don't interrupt me" she growled out. His eyes which were focused on his documents now looked up at her.

"Don't worry I know this marriage is a sham but I will play my part perfectly in front of those dear villagers who fear you so much but I will never fear you." She snarled, her voice full of resentment and hatred. Temari and Kankuro were stunned by the complete 180 Keiko did. The women who appeared so nice and pleasant was now a spit fire of rage and hatred.

No one has ever annoyed him this bad since Naruto. He wanted to crush her with his sand but he had to remember what Temari had told him prior to her coming here ' _She left all she known all her life to come to an ex-enemy village for a publicity stunt. She most likely scared and upset feeling abandoned by her family.'_ He kept repeating what Temari had told him in order to control himself.

She turned and faced Temari, "I'm ready to go home" and proceeded to exit the room only to stop in the doorway her voice held a hint of sadness to it but no one noticed, "Pairing us together, what laugh my village is probably having right now" before finally exiting his office.

* * *

 **Author Note: Review or Fav if you enjoyed. I'm writing this due to a competition with CrazySenpai to see whose story becomes more popular.**

 **Will try to update weekly; however, depends on work schedule.**


	3. Handshake?

Keiko's POV

The sun was setting on the desert and when the sun set in the desert the temperature became as cold as the dead. I sat on the roof of my new home or prison whichever I would decide to call it and thought about my day and my past while playing with the sand. I thought about my outburst of anger and how my rage still lingered.

But I realized something as I played with the sand with my hands, picking it up and letting the wind blow it away in the twilight watching how it twirled and swirled with the wind as if the wind was its dance partner. I realized I wasn't angry; I was frightened because unlike the sand I was all alone. Before I had my village even though they despised me but now I had nothing.

The purple ribbon tied around my wrist also threated to fly away and join the wind but I clutched it tightly to my chest, this feeling was painful. It made me think of her and the feelings I thought I buried a long time ago. I looked at the purple ribbon which struggled in my hand to fly away. Even though it was just an article of clothing it was a precious memory from when I had everything and I wished I could go back to that time. But my memory felt like it was fading especially of her but if I concentrated hard enough I could almost hear her voice and see her face.

 _'You must hide them from the ….. because they will betray you'_ her ghost whispered ominously.

I sighed and wrapped the ribbon around my eyes. It was becoming harder and harder to remember why I had to wrap my eyes. The world was so full of colors sometimes I just wanted to see what others see. I collapsed back onto my coat snuggling into the soft fur layering the inside.

The temperature was beginning to plummet. Normally, the cold would chill me to the bones but the cold wind soothed my feverish body and my coat still provided me warmth. I had cleaned and redressed my wounds with fresh bandages but traveling to Suna without properly tending to my wounds caused them to get slightly infected. The wounds were healing and not as painful as previously but I would have to be careful not to reopen them.

As I laid on my stomach I began to listen to the city come to life and soon I felt myself drifting to sleep. It was different falling asleep here because at my old village I listened to pitter of rain hitting the roof but here I listened to the nightlife of Suna. It had been a long time since I slept but I couldn't sleep to soundly because I was sure this place was full of hidden dangers.

My last thoughts before sleep consumed me was the engagement announcement tomorrow. Then a strange thought occurred to me, I could run. Running away was always an option, I had no family left, nothing to hold me back. I could still fulfill my role as wife to the Kazekage but the Kazekage's wife could be accidently killed on a mission. I would be free and my role fulfilled. The word free was a strange word and the thought of it entertained my mind and it would even invade my dreams that night.

* * *

"Oi have you seen Keiko." Temari asked Kankuro.

"Mmhh….no… Did you check to see if she still in bed?" he replied in between sips of his coffee while reading the newspaper. "She probably locked herself inside her bedroom. I wouldn't be too worried, she'll come down when she's ready".

"I'm just worried, you know. We don't know much about her and the way yesterday ended. I just don't know. I'll just go check on her to see if she needs anything" Temari said.

Temari ended up at Gaara's and Keiko's bedroom door, she hesitated before finally knocking. After a few knocks and no responses she called out, "Keiko, it's me Temari. Is everything okay?". Still no response. She knew Gaara wasn't in there because he hardly used his bedroom, she couldn't even remember the last time he had.

After calling out a few more times and knocking Temari yelled out, "I'm opening the door, okay." When she opened the door she saw the room was empty. Nothing seemed out of place, even the bed appeared to be untouched, which worried her. What if something had happened to her.

She started to panic after checking the whole upstairs and started yelling, "Kankuro, Kankuro. She gone, she isn't here"

Temari yells startling Kankuro causing him to spill his coffee all over the newspaper he was reading and himself. And before he could let alone answer Temari and help her search for Keiko his younger brother, Gaara walked in.

"What is all this commotion?" he said his voice laced with annoyance. "The engagement announcement is a few hours away. Is she getting ready?"

"Well, your fiancé appears to be missing." Kankuro simple answered while grabbing a towel in an attempt to dry himself off.

"What?" this time anger was present in his voice.

Temari flew down the stairs. "She isn't here Kankuro, I just checked the whole upstairs." Then she looked at Gaara, "Keiko is missing have you seen her?"

"No" he responded, a scowl replacing his usual poker face.

"Well, if I were her I would have run away because you know your not very charming or a lady's man. Plus, she's stuck with you until the whole death do you part thing" Kankuro said with evident humor but he immediately regretted his words because Gaara was not amused by them. If looks could kill, Kankuro was sure he would be dead by now.

"She wouldn't dare." Gaara said.

* * *

Keiko's POV

I slept longer than I wanted to because the sun was already high in the sky, its rays bringing back the dreadful heat. I must have needed the sleep, but I was still exhausted. I would also need to eat soon too.

I kept hearing the sounds of multiply people yelling. I sat up somewhat curious since it woke me up but the heat was making me somewhat lazy and didn't feel like listening. I had a nagging feeling I had something to do but I couldn't recall what it was but if it was important I would remember.

Before I could contemplate what I was doing next sand lifted all around me, encasing me and crushing me. I started to panic, why didn't I notice anything? I felt so weak, my chakra was there but I couldn't reach it, which has never happened to me before. At that point in time all rational thoughts were gone and I began to struggle violently.

The sand lifted me from the roof and towards the ground, all the while crushing me and the more I struggled the tighter the sand became around me. I couldn't hear anything but the beating of my heart. My wounds began reopening on my back from my violent struggle with my attacker. I wanted to cry out in pain but I wouldn't give my attacker the pleasure of knowing I was in pain.

"What do you think you were doing?" he snarled his voice appearing to have ran out of patience a while ago. "The engagement announcement is in thirty minutes. Do you plan on causing me trouble?"

I stopped struggling and went very still, it was Gaara. Seconds went by before I remembered what he had said. The engagement announcement was today and I forgotten all about it. The sand gave me a very painful squeeze signaling to me he wanted his answer now. "No" I said.

"No what?" the sand gave me another squeeze but the sand didn't let up.

"Itttt.. wassss..n't… on..on pur…pose." I wheezed out. The sand eased up when another person yelled.

"Keiko" I heard

I was then able to finish "I wasn't trying to cause trouble." I never felt so pathetic and weak then I did in that moment. Answering to someone who was nothing to me, not friend, not family, or even lover.

"Enough, Gaara. Put her down." The person yelled again. I finally recognized the voice as Temari.

One moment I was suspended in the air the next I was falling to the ground. I landed on my back hard. I gasped from the impact and bit back a scream. I tried to get onto my feet immediately only to fall forward.

"Don't make me look for you again" and with that Gaara turned and walked away.

"Are you okay. Where were you" she asked while extending a hand to help me up.

"I'm fine." I replied. I ignored her offered hand and with a little difficultly got back on my feet. I didn't feel like talking. The pain was making it difficult to stand and walk let alone converse.

"I left your kimono for the engagement announcement in the living room. Do you need help putting it on" Temari yelled behind me; however, I kept walking never answer or acknowledging her.

Kankuro finally showed up out of breath. "I'm guessing you didn't find her but Gaara."

Temari responded "you guessed right" her voice losing her usually happy tone.

I touched the kimono, it was soft and silky. The only other time I had worn a kimono was when my clan offered me to Suna to be the wife of the Kazekage; however, I was not allowed to keep the kimono, it was taken back immediately after the councilmen departed that evening.

The kimono I had worn that day was colorful with beautiful flowers decorating the fabric. This would be the second time I be wearing a kimono and I was curious about what it looked like. I knew I shouldn't have but I removed the ribbon from my eyes and what I saw was a simple but elegant, grey kimono. It was not as fancy as the other one I had worn but it was still very beautiful.

After changing into the Kimono, I followed the sand siblings to the Kazekage's Tower. They both stole glances at me eventually, Temari spoke up, "you look nice" she said.

"Thanks" I replied and the rest of our walk was silent.

We ended up on the roof of the Kazekage's Tower, it would be where the announcement would be made. I stood to the left of Gaara and it was the last place I wanted to be and Temari and Kankuro stood off to the side of us. The two councilmen from Suna stood to Gaara's right and I recognized they were the same councilmen who visited my village that day. I despised both of them for accepting me as a suitable wife for their Kazekage.

My attention did not stay with them but drifted to the crowd below us, I believed the whole village was present. I could hear the murmurs of the crowd, everyone gossiping and talking about what the announcement could be. I heard some whispers in the crowd asking who I was. However, the pain emanating from my back drew my attention away from the crowd and back to my wounds.

The pain was intensifying; it was hard to think about anything else except for the painful throbs coming from my back. Although, I was able to drown out everyone's voices for a few minutes the use of my name and the cheer of the crowd pulled me back to reality.

"Kinjo-sama, will honor us with an age old ritual, a ritual proving she is most suitable to stand by our Kazekage's side."

'A ritual?'

"She will have a friendly sparing match with one of our own talented youths to gage her strength and spirit." Said the councilmen closet to Gaara. "The match will be held three hours from now in the Sand Arena and her opponent will be Rikimaru Yoko"

Another cheer and round of applause was given. Unlike the crowd I was not pleased by the announcement, my wounds had reopened making it difficult for me to stand and walk. Battling would only worsen my wounds but I had no choice.

I'm sure the councilmen wanted a show in order instead of a quick battle but I could not and would not indulge the old geezers today. The battle would be quick and clean.

Both stood in the center at the arena facing each other, Reiko dressed in the same strange outfit she showed up in, her opponent, Rikimaru Yoko stood opposite her in the arena honing the typically Suna ninja garb. Yoko smiled and waved to the crowd excitedly in a childish manner, her personality was the complete opposite of Reiko. Reiko on the other hand stood completely still awaiting the proctor's orders.

The crowd murmured excitedly in the seats above, events such as these were rare. Gaara and the councilmen spectated from a designated sitting area while Temari and Kankuro stood behind Gaara with worried looks. Both had extremely bad feelings about the battle.

The proctor began "Today we are gathered for the battle between Kinjo Reiko and Rikimaru Yoko. The rules are simple, the first rule the battle ends when one person has lost the will to fight or can no longer fight. The second rule anything goes as long as it stays inside the arena. The third rule is there is no third rule. And the battle may start." And the proctor disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Back at the spectator booth with Gaara, Temari and Kankuro several things were being discussed about the battle. "Rikimaru Yoko?" Temari said in a questioning way.

"She is a special jounin, she's part of the interrogation unit" replied a confused Kankuro. He was unsure why they would match Keiko with a shinobi from the interrogation unit and probed Gaara for more information, "Gaara, what exactly is her specialty?"

"Her specialization is fear." Gaara stated his attention focused on the arena.

"Fear?" Kankuro questioned.

"Yes, she materializes her target's fear." Gaara responded.

"Watch" Gaara said before either of his siblings could question him further. He too was curious about the match.

Back in the arena both opponents had yet to move. Yoko with the same smile she was given the audience raised her right hand toward Keiko a gesture resembling a handshake. "I'm Yoko which you already know nee-chan. But I just want to let you know no matter who wins no hard feelings so let shake in agreement to that, right nee-chan."

Keiko was unsure of the etiquette in the Land of Wind but she remembered the handshake with Kankuro, he had meant goodwill with his handshake. But she was unsure if her opponent had the same mindset but perhaps she was overthinking it and handshakes are common etiquette in the Land of the Wind.

'It would be rude if I refused' she thought.

"No" Temari whispered.

Kankuro shakes his head, "Baka"

The moment Keiko placed her hand in Yoko's, the girl's face lite up in amusement and the friendliness vanished from her smile. Yoko's grip was abusive and Keiko knew then she had made a mistake but it was too late and before she could react she felt a sharp sting in her palm. "You are not suitable to stand by the Kazekage's side at all, not at all stupid girl" Yoko hissed while performing a serious of hand signals with her free hand.

She quickly finished the hand signals and yelled "Kidzukai no Jutsu" and ripped and flung a blood red glob from Kieko's hand. Yoko leapt back and blood splattered everywhere staining and dotting the surrounding sand a crimson red.

A hush fell over the audience as they watched the scene unfold below. Kankuro's face scrunched up in disgust at the sight below, Temari was in utter shock, and Gaara's face remained unchanged.

The glob began to boil, move, and grow in size. As it grew the glob appeared less like a glob, taking on a humanoid shape. The features became more and more pronounce and quickly the glob was no longer a glob but a mirror image of Kieko and it spoke in a gravely voice, "It's been a long time, love."


	4. Cornered Rabbit

Its body was awkwardly bent forward, its hands dipping into the sand. The creature began to straighten its back excruciatingly slow, the moment awkward and jerky, its hood was beginning to slide off the more upright its back became. At the same time one of the creature's hands reached up to its partially hidden face and a second later a gust of strong wind blew the rest of the hood off revealing its face and hand.

The audience got a good look at its face although the thing's eyes were still shut. Incased in its hand was a fluttering purple ribbon, a duplicate of the one Keiko currently had wrapped around her eyes. The creature sported a hideous grin which seemed only to grow when it realized everyone was watching it exposing rows of sharp teeth. The creature may have been a copy of Keiko but the creature was wild and crazed. And instead of having its long black hair pulled back in a neat braid like Keiko, the creature's hair was loose blowing in the wind madly.

Keiko stood in the same position since the fake handshake blood still dripping from her hand to the sand below. Yoko seemingly unforgotten stood off to the sidelines waiting and watching.

Craning its head unnaturally to its right where Yoko stood, it spoke again in the same gravely voice, "Its seems Princess we have an audience".

It let go of the purple ribbon that instant allowing the wind to snatch it away. Its eyes opened settling on Yoko, she froze when the creature's eyes caught her own. Its eyes were by far the most unsettling about the creature, its eyes resembling broken glass. Fear began coiling in the pit of her stomach, a voice in her head was screaming danger but she couldn't move.

The creature studied her, analyzing her with the same maddening smile plastered on its face. Now the ribbon was gone the hand reached up to its ear where something yellow sparkled when the sunlight hit it just right. The sparking yellow thing flowed from the creature's ear to the thing's hand, appearing to be some type of liquid. Its eyes narrowed dangerously, causing Yoko to shake violently. The creature seemed to see through her, every perceived flaw and vulnerability.

Back where Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara sat, Temari stated the obvious "Something is wrong". Kankuro nodded in agreement and Gaara sat there his emotions and thoughts unreadable but his eyes did flicker from the battle to where the councilmen sat. The councilmen undutiful seemed pleased about something and a slight frown formed on Gaara's usual poker face.

Back in the arena the creature sprinted forward at an alarming speed toward Yoko. The yellow liquid grew in its hand and solidified into a yellow glass sword, spraying sand when its wielder carelessly let it touch the ground. The creature was almost on top of Yoko and the moment it was in close proximity the creature brought its sword back to swing at her. Yoke was frozen in fear unable to escape her fate but before the creature could deliver the deadly blow something stopped it and a loud clanging noise echoed in the arena.

Keiko stood in front of Yoko holding the same sword the creature held, their swords were pressed together, the pressure caused from the two swords grinding together were eliciting sparks. The creature started laughing hysterically while it started to swing its sword wildly. Keiko kept up with its pace.

"I didn't take you to be you know a lover of these these Namuhs, love" spat the creature which was still laughing hysterically, tears welling up in its eyes. Keiko was able to push the creature back to the center of the arena away from Yoko, their swords still clashing together neither one able to land a hit on the other.

"Still not talking to me not even a hello, love. You're beginning to hurt my feelings." it crackled, it laughter never letting up. After a while of swords clashing, the creature leapt away, "I tire of this, princess". The creature stopped laughing but kept the same creepy smile and raised one hand.

"what is it up to" Temari asked.

"Look" Kankuro pointed.

A glass panel across the stadium was starting to shudder, cracks starting to form from the movement. The rapid movement was causing the cracks to accelerate, branching like a drunk spider's web before exploding above the arena. And it wasn't just that panel which shattered all the glass did in the arena including the glass on the jumbotron causing sparks to fly. People in the arena started to scream which excited the creature below. It watched the crowd enthusiastically.

"Gaara we got to stop the match before people get hurt" Temari and Kankuro both panicked.

"Wait" was Gaara's only response. Both Temari and Kankuro balled their hands into fists obeying their Kazekage's command. It would not be until the match was over Temari and Kankuro would realize Gaara had set up precautions before the match to stop people in the audience from getting injured.

Instead of the glass tumbling down over those in the arena the glass became suspended in the air. The people in the arena stopped screaming when they realized the glass wasn't hurdling at them. The creature tsked in annoyance losing interest in the crowd once their fear dissipated and returned its focus back on Keiko and Yoko.

The glass swirled and spun in the air as if it was alive gathering above the creature's head. The creature lifted a finger up to it face and wagged it back and forth, "Naughty, naughty Namuhs making you nothing but a lap dog, princess." It said then laughing hysterically again, "Lap dog, priceless, Love. Priceless" it said again laughing as if it made a joke. A joke only Keiko and it would understand. "Sorry, couldn't help myself, Love" it said wiping away the gathered tears from its eyes.

The creature still wiping the tears away pointed at Yoko and the glass shards surged forward. Keiko dashed forward throwing her raincoat over Yoko just before glass shards descended from above, they rained down like millions of tiny knives pummeled everything and disturbing the sand.

The sand kicked up a cloud of dust which now hid the fate of Keiko and Yoko. The creature stood still waiting for the sand to settle, the shards of glass hovered over its head waiting for any movement in the cloud of dust but none came. It gritted it teeth, its eyes going back and forth searching for any movement while becoming uneasy when it spotted none. Minutes went by before it saw movement from the corner of its eyes.

It propelled the shards of glass forward striking the spot where it saw the movement but it missed. It kept happening and the creature became annoyed with its near misses until an idea formed in its mind and it smirked, "I know you are there love and I'm glad you didn't die because really I would be nothing without you but enough is enough, no more games" it snarled, pointing a finger at the crowd of innocent bystanders.

The shards of glass followed the direction of the pointed finger and ascended upon the crowd. Keiko having no choice but to stop the glass emerged from her hiding spot. She placed herself between the glass and the people in the audience compelling the glass to obey her.

She was not without injury; she was littered with small cuts all over her body. Her hair was a mess; her braid was coming undone and some of the loose pieces were whipping around wildly in the wind. She was wearing a long-sleeve back top but the shards of glass had ripped through it revealing bandages underneath. Her pants were ripped but mostly intact along with her boots.

The creature leisurely walked towards her dragging its sword with one hand. "You really love these Namuhs, Love. But you can't save them and yourself. You must choose" It whispered sadly so only she could hear it. Its brought it sword back when it was close enough to her and before it could swing an sword impaled it through its chest.

Keiko was then able to push the shards of glass away from the audience letting them fall where they wouldn't hurt anyone. She exhausted the last bit of her chakra and fell back. She turned her head to the creature and listened to its final moments.

The thing looked down at the sword impaled through its chest and started laughing, "Well, I guess my time is up huh, Love".

Keiko the whole time had not said anything to the creature finally spoke, "Today is not a day I can choose". The thing eyed her suspiciously a dark smile gracing its features once more before it liquefied returning to its original form. What was left of thing was a puddle of blood on the ground and behind where the creature once stood was Yoko holding the sword which had impaled the creature. She looked exhausted but she was without harm, Keiko's jacket was draped over her shoulders shards of glass were embedded to the outside of the jacket. The sword liquefied and floated back to Keiko's ear solidifying into a glass earring.

"I'm sorry Keiko. I'm going to say I lost this fight" Yoko said, offering her hand to help Keiko up. Keiko took her offered hand.

After being pulled up by Yoko, Keiko was out of it, her head was fuzzy but she could faintly recall when the proctor announce she won the match and the crowd cheering in the background. Meanwhile, Temari grabbed both Kankuro and Gaara forcefully dragging them behind her.

* * *

Keiko's POV

The effects of the pill were dissipating, I needed to rest. Find a safe place to rest and think about what happened afterwards, that was my plan. I just had to get away from everyone first. I had somehow escaped the medical ninja and also retrieved my coat from Yoko but I was then ambushed by Temari.

She cut off my exit so I turned and went the other way only for Kankuro to block my path. I backed up and bolted the other way. The pain was coming back, I had maybe five minutes left before I was completely helpless, I didn't want anyone touching me the thought sickened me.

"Goddammit Kankuro grab her" Temari threatened.

"I'm trying" Kankuro yelled back.

I heard Temari call his name next and I knew my luck had run out, "Gaara" she yelled. Not even a second later sand encased me like earlier today, immobilizing me but unlike last time it did not hurt me. The sand was almost comforting as it coiled around me, 'how odd' I thought before allowing the darkness to take me.

The pain brought me back into a state of consciousness. I heard voices in the background and tried to move but my body refused to listen.

"She's a mess." I heard one person say. Then an unfamiliar woman agreed, "Yes, she took a lot of damage". Moment later she spoke again, "Look at what I found in her coat, they look like chakra restore pills". I heard her set the container down on a nearby table. Seconds later the unfamiliar woman requested help from the other person whose voice seemed vaguely familiar.

My thoughts raced, what were they doing to me, I didn't want anyone to touch me. I tried again, I felt my fingers move and the woman must have seen the movement because she started yelling, "She's awake, grab me the sedative. She going to hurt herself worse"

I went into full blown panic mode, I willed my body to move causing myself and whatever I was lying on to crash onto the floor causing a loud metallic bang. I hit the floor with a loud thud, the pain was indescribable causing me to quiver. I heard other voices and footsteps and the pain I felt was replaced by my fear. I reached for anything to help me up, only ending up sending a small metal table tumbling to the floor and whatever was on it to fall on the floor as well. The items made small metallic pings when they hit the floor scattering everywhere.

"Calm down were here to help "the women spoke as she approached me. She drew closer to me with a sharp object hidden in her hand. I scrambled back, my legs being uncooperative and my breathing becoming difficult. The moment I realized I was cornered was when my back hit a wall.

My fear jumbled my thoughts, my breaths coming in panicked gasps. My heart was hammering inside my chest liked it belonged to a rabbit running for its life. It became too much and then I heard the sound of shattering glass and screams. The noise soothed me and allowed me to momentarily gather my thoughts. I got my legs to work a little and I scrambled to the exit passing the people who had previously cornered me, their arms over their heads protecting their faces.

The moment I made it through the doorway I bumped into someone's legs and they made a small umphh noise. My escape was short lived as I was quickly boosted up in the air by my shirt, my feet dangled in the air, kicking frantically. I started chocking from my collar strangling me, my hands immediately tried to pull the fabric away from my throat.

"I told you not to cause trouble" he whispered in my ear while tightening the grip on my shirt. Before he could say more I heard voices and multiply people running in our direction.

He lowered me to the ground but refused to let go of my shirt. The unknown woman approached us, "Shhhh, Its okay. You'll be fine" she said soothingly.

I whimpered when I felt the prick of a needle and I fought the darkness this time around but soon succumbed to its inky darkness **.**

* * *

 **Author's note-** Thanks for the reviews. :)


	5. Quality Time with Gaara

Keiko's POV

I could hear the pen effortlessly flow against the paper never missing a single beat, I couldn't even block the annoying rhythm out. And like every day almost as if it's a new routine exactly at 11:45 am the pen would stop in mid-motion, "Are you going to tell me where you got those wounds?" he asked. I could feel his eyes on me, studying me like I was some kind of wild animal.

My nails dug dangerously into the couch I was currently and unwillingly sitting on in his office. I been forced to sit in his office for the past week after I woke up from my injuries in the hospital. I was told until my wounds were healed I would be spending quality time with Gaara and to consider it as a time not only to heal my wounds but to bond with him. That part was not only disgusting but a lie, they just didn't have anyone to babysit me since Kankuro and Temari were busy with the preparations for the upcoming Chunin Exams.

His questions would be relentless until someone walked in, I didn't know why he asked I would always respond with the same answers every day.

"From the friendly sparring match with Yoko." I responded.

"Why didn't you say anything about being injured before the match?" he asked ignoring my previous answer.

"I wasn't hurt; why must we go through this every day?" I said, exhausted with his repetitive questions.

"Who hurt you?" he asked again ignoring yet again my question and answers.

"God dammit, I am perfectly capable of defending myself as if someone can hurt me" I snapped.

"Why did you let them hurt you?" He asked. I froze that bastard tricked me. "Was it your clan?" he asked not waiting for my response.

"Why do you care?" I asked. "Someone who made it awfully clear they didn't care what I did as long as I played my part is asking a lot of questions about things that doesn't concern him" I snarled.

"I" before he could finish Temari burst in with today's lunch. Lunch was usually disgusting, actually food in general was disgusting, I had a hard time stomaching it. But more importantly that woman, that dreadful woman who I think is called Sakura is right behind her. I really disliked her every since the episode in the hospital.

She plops herself right next to me. "Hello, Keiko" I could hear the smile in her voice. Just like Gaara she would ask the same questions every day, I hoped she leave the village soon. "I know you probably don't feel like talking but I also found these in your coat. I never seen anything like these before, they're not a secret right?" she asked while grabbing my hand in order to deposit a small round pill in my hand.

Every time she grabbed my hand I wanted to flinch, I really hated when people touched me. I felt the pill with my fingers. "They numb pain….for up to…four hours" I responded begrudgingly while handing the pill back making sure not to touch her. I felt the gazes of both Temari and Gaara watching our interactions.

"That's amazing. Where did you learn this, did someone teach you? She asked excitedly.

"No" I answered still annoyed, you would think she would get the hint. My clan never pestered me like this, they just left me to my own devices unless they wanted something or felt like punishing me for something I didn't do. So far I told her about the numerous pills I had in my coat the ones she found, they weren't any secret but I still hate delving any information about myself.

"Ohh, okay. Well, here's your lunch." She said pushing a brown, paper bag at me. I could smell the contents of the bag which made my stomach turn.

"Thanks" I replied halfheartedly taking the bag from her outstretched hand.

"Your welcome, um I'll see you tomorrow, Kieko" she said getting up. I had yet another day where she would pester me. "Temari are you coming, I'm sure Shikamaru is waiting?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Ahh, umm…. yeah. I'll I'll be… right... right with you. Give me a moment." She stuttered.

'Mhhh, interesting who was this Shikamaru to get Temari all in a tether.'

"Gaara, here's your lunch, I'll see you both tonight" She said in all one breath. I could hear the bag be flung onto his desk and her quick retreat out the door. My curiosity subsided when the smell of the paper bag wafted up to my noise, the smell of it making me sick. I was really glad they hadn't stayed for lunch like they normally did because I quickly tossed the bag onto the table next to me. Usually, I had to force the food down to be polite.

"You not going to eat?" he asked.

"No" I said annoyed. I thought he be done questioning me. I didn't know what was worse trying to eat food which made me feel sick or his never ending questions.

"Why?"

"I'm not hungry." I said still annoyed which was a lie. I was hungry but I couldn't stand the thought of trying to force food down my throat which was touched by others.

"You're too skinny, eat." He commanded.

"I said I'm not hungry" I said even more annoyed.

"Eat" He commanded again. I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Why" I mocked. I don't know what made me act like this, I was taught to listen and obey. 'To honor the Kinjo Clan' I thought bitterly. While I was lost in thought an incredible force threw me back, ultimately pinning me to the couch. It was his damn sand again; I was getting so sick of it.

I fought it but like every other time before my chakra felt so distant and unreachable. I stopped struggling figuring it was pointless to fight the inevitable. I was trying to figure the point in all this but my thoughts were once again disrupted when I heard his chair scarp against the floor as he got up. He walked over to me and I heard the paper bag I had thrown on the table being picked up and opened.

"No. You're not going to" I growled out. I quickly closed my mouth when I realized where this was heading.

My face was forcibly grabbed and squeezed. "Open" he commanded.

I gritted my teeth, I refused to let him get his own way.

When I refused to obey, he squeezed harder causing my lips to pucker in which he tried to force food in. The food smeared all over my teeth in which the taste of it caused me to gag allowing him the opportunity to shove the food in my mouth. Before the thought of spitting the food out occurred to me he covered my mouth with his sand forcing me to swallow.

The process repeated itself until all the food was gone, the sand slowly uncurled itself from me. I was completely exhausted, the fight gone from my body. I felt his thumb wipe remnants of food from my mouth, I shivered involuntarily. "Mhhh, that was quite enjoyable. I'll be sure to do it tomorrow" he said, a low chuckle escaping him as he got up and walked back to his desk.

"I hate you" I hissed.

"I know" he replied sounding amused by my response. I heard him sit back down and I also heard the awful noise of the pen again as he went back to work. But I also thought I heard him humming softly but I could have been mistaken, I was tired. Eating that disgusting food did a number on me and I soon found myself falling asleep unwillingly in front of an enemy.

'How odd' I thought once again before I gave myself to the darkness.

* * *

 **Author's note- This upcoming scene is in the past, I just don't want anyone to get confused.**

They were in a private wing in Suna's hospital. They had brought Keiko here after she passed out after the match to check on her injuries. She had caused quite a ruckus after waking up when Sakura was about to remove her clothing and if it was not for Gaara grabbing her outside the doorway Temari and Kankuro weren't sure what would have happened. But fortunately Sakura was able to sedate her and finish looking and tending to her wounds. Now the three sand sibling waited for Sakura to report to them about Keiko's condition.

"Gaara, thank you for earlier." Sakura said referring back to when Keiko had tried to escape.

"No, thank you" Gaara said. He studied her, by just looking at her face something was bugging her. "What is bothering you?" he asked.

"Well, there's something you should know." She said her eyes now casted downwards.

"Yes?"

"Well, she has wounds on her back." She said pausing as if trying to figure out how to word her sentence. He waited.

"The wounds on her back are not from the match earlier." She said becoming really quiet. "They are old wounds….. Some of them really old wounds." she hesitated not sure how to continue.

"Wounds from a mission?" he asked not quite sure where she was heading. It was normal for shinobi to have wounds from previous battles.

"No… You see that's the problem, normally that would be the case and often the truth for many shinobi but unfortunately that isn't true for her." She said, anger now apparent in her voice.

"Gaara, someones been abusing her" she said not allowing him to get a single word in. Her eyes which were on the ground now focused on him, full of rage. "The wounds were placed on her back for a reason Gaara, they wanted to hide the abuse. The wounds are so deep but that's not all. " she said shaking in fury. "She been starved, she so thin but still in this condition she still fought today. She must have been in so much pain. I don't know, I'm just so mad at whoever did this." She spat.

Kankuro and Temari were off to the side their heads down listening to the conversation Gaara and Sakura were currently having. They were also thinking how lucky they were that Sakura just happened to be in town visiting Suna. They had a sheepish look and were trying to digest the same information Sakura was giving Gaara. They glanced up at Gaara their brother and also leader to see how he was handling the information about his future wife. However, his face was unreadable.

After a few minutes to let the information to sink in Sakura spoke again "I'm also afraid she probably suffering from PTSD"

"PTSD?" Kankuro asked.

Sakura turned and looked at Kankuro "ahh, yess" her voice having an edge of sadness to it. "PTSD is what we are calling it, it is short for post-traumatic stress disorder in which the individual has gone through a traumatic ordeal and with the right triggers they can relive the memory. We only recently discovered it after the war."

"Can I see her?" Gaara asked.

"Of Course. This way." Sakura said caught off by his question. Temari and Kankuro were left behind to think about the information they just received.

Gaara followed behind her without another word his presence unnerving her, she could never tell what he was thinking. She stopped outside the hospital door, "she's in there" she pointed at the room her head once again bowed down. He grabbed her arm causing her jump and look him in the eye.

"Thank you, Sakura. I truly appreciate it. If you weren't here today I don't know what we would have done" He said again before letting go of her arm and walking into the room. She stole a glance into the room before returning to where Temari and Kankuro were and what she saw stunned her.

Gaara lifted his hand to Kieko's face, his fingers brushing her check a gesture which couldn't be mistaken for anything but love and affection. Sakura's face turned a bright red before she turned and ran back to where Temari and Kankuro were.

"I guess we are a perfect match" he said sighing. He paused before continuing, "I'm also sorry I didn't know you were hurt earlier".

His other hand slowly became a fist. "I'll find out who did this to you but I'll doubt you'll cooperate with me" he said sighing again but this time in defeat.

 **Author Note- thanks for reading. Also don't forget to check out with the person's story i'm competing with. :) (Crazysenpai- devoted to a puppet)**


	6. White Moth

Temari and Kankuro were both at the table discussing the Chunin Exams when they heard the front door open and close. They expected to see Keiko and Gaara but no one rounded the corner which peeked their curiosity. Curiosity got the better of Temari causing her to get up and look around the corner, she was silent for a few seconds until she started whispering excitedly to Kankuro "Psst, Kankuro get over here, hurry"

"What?" he whispered back not sure why he too was whispering now. He was also wondering what was making Temari so excited. He quickly got up and peeked around the corner along with Temari. What he saw made him smirk, Gaara who was apparently oblivious to his spying siblings was going up the stairs carrying a sleeping Keiko.

"See" Temari said looking at Kankuro sporting her own smirk, "They are such liars, the both of them are. They're getting along just fine" she added before pulling at Kankoru jacket hinting that before Gaara came back down they should return to their seats. Resuming their talk about the Chunin exam they acted as if they didn't see anything.

A little bit later, Gaara rounded the corner and waited for his siblings to stop talking.

"Ohh, Gaara I thought I heard someone come in. You want some coffee?" she asked. Then she looked around dramatically, "Ehh, is Keiko not with you?" she asked innocently.

"It's in bed sleeping. I'm going back to finish my paperwork." He reported then turned to leave.

"Wait, Gaara. I umm noticed Kieko's luggage hasn't arrived yet and it's been well over 2 weeks. I was wondering if you would bring her shopping you know cause she can't keep wearing my clothes." Temari said reaching out to him.

Gaara stopped and glanced back at Temari, saying nothing and walked away. Temari huffed in annoyance crossing her arms when she heard the door open then closed.

"Well, you tried right? I mean its Gaara we are dealing with." Kankuro said.

"Shut up, it's not like you're any help" Temari grumbled.

Elsewhere, a moth fluttered in the wind darting in out of the crowded night life of Suna. Swatted at by one shopkeeper than another until it was safely above all the bustle and hustle of the marketplace. It was lazily flapping it wings allowing the wind to do most of the work. Soon the moth was far from the marketplace and now flying over the homes of sleeping villagers. The moth fluttered its wings a couple of more times before coming to rest on an open windowsill. Moths were an ordinary sight in Suna especially on warm nights.

Back upstairs where Keiko slept a soft breeze blew in from the opened window playing with the curtains and her hair. Muttering in her sleep because of her hair tickling her nose she turned to her left away from the open window. What dreams she currently had were peaceful, dreams of the past when she was happy. Her lips were tugged into a slight smile as she relived happier times; however, sweet dreams can easily turn sour very quickly. On her windowsill a white moth lazily flapped its wings.

Keiko smile soon disappeared as peaceful dreams were eaten by nightmares. She started to toss and turn whimpering in her sleep trying to outrun the things that chased her in her nightmares. In her nightmares she called out for help but no one could hear her pleas, in the real world her pleas for help were just hoarse cries in which no one in the house heard.

A light sheen of sweat accumulated on her body from her struggles with unseen foes. Eventually, she was able to force herself awake. She sat up in the bed hands clutching the sheets and she drew her legs up to her chest protectively. Her arms instinctually wrapped around her legs as she rocked herself back and forth trying to remind herself that the nightmares weren't real.

The wind blew in once again tossing the curtain and her hair about and she realized how cold it was in the room. She was shivering uncontrollably; her teeth were chattering nonstop and the only way to prevent the cold air from entering was to close the window. She slowly slid off the side of the bed dragging the sheet and pillow with her and made her way to the open window.

Her movement near the window disturb the white moth resting on the window sill. She closed the window and instead of going back to the bed she went to the closet. She opened the closet and went inside closing the door behind her. She went to the far back corner and sat down, she was still very cold shaking and shivering. But she was also very tired and she slowly curled up in a ball but even though she was still exhausted she could not fall asleep. She feared the nightmares would return if she let herself drift back to sleep.

Knowing her coat hung up in the same closet she was in she reached up and unzipped a hidden pocket missed by Sakura. Her coat ended up slipping off the coat hanger and landing on top of her but it didn't bother her in the least it only brought her comfort. She dug around in the pocket pulling out a small container filled with bright blue pills. She poured a couple in her hand and brought the same hand up to her mouth swallowing the pills. It was not long before the pills took effect and she drifted this time into a dreamless sleep. The pills she took were to help her sleep but the pills would keep in her in a daze like state throughout tomorrow morning. She only took a enough so she would still be able to function somewhat. She would still wake up to Temari's obnoxious yells and pounding on the bedroom door tomorrow and also still be able to handle the everyday routine they go through everyday which consisted of Temari and Kankuro dropping her off at Gaara's office like a child; however, the pills would keep her out of it out till about noon time.

The white moth being disturbed and also having rested enough flew away into the dark night.

* * *

Keiko's POV

I was currently sitting on the couch in Gaara's office but I couldn't recall much about how ended up on it. I couldn't even remember how I got back to the house last night. My memories and thoughts were all hazy and jumbled even the noise of his pen on paper wasn't that annoying today. The constant noise was somewhat pleasant and I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness listening to it.

I would wake up time to time still in a dazed state to hear different sand ninja reporting to Gaara but their voices would fade into the background once I started to focus on the noise of the pen's fluid movement across his endless paperwork. And eventually, the sound of the pen would lull me back to sleep. The first few days being in his office caused me to be restless and on guard but the more time I spent in here the more I realized no harm would come to me even while I slept. Even he was more pleasant in his office.

My last coherent thought before passing out again was, 'It's the pills fault'.

"Wake up" I heard Gaara say but his voice was distant and I was debating whether or not I should answer him. I was guessing it was close to lunch time and he was beginning his normal routine. But unfortunately, the memory of yesterday rushed back to me replying the events which occurred at lunchtime which instantly pulled me back to a state of consciousness.

'I had to escape' were my immediate thoughts after the memory replayed itself several times in my awake state of mind.

"what?" I asked while I tried to conjure up some elaborate escape plan. I had to act like normal so he wouldn't expect anything.

"Who made the wounds on your back?" he asked. Does he not get bored with asking the same questions every day?

"My doppelganger during my friendly match with Yoko." I stated rather blandly, all the while planning my escape. I got up from the couch setting my escape plan in motion.

"Where are you going?" he asked. He was a controlling bastard even though he said he didn't care what I did as long as I fulfilled my role.

"Bathroom" I lied but it was not entirely a lie, more of a half-truth. I proceeded to the bathroom exiting the office all the while I could feel his eyes on my back. I believe he was still suspicious of me so I entered the bathroom like I said making sure he heard the door clicking open then shut.

I walked over to the window after locking the door, pressing my hand against the glass pane. I was on the top floor and far from the safety of the ground but I could make it to the ground without injuring myself. I took a deep breath and pushed on the glass making the glass liquefied. I pulled myself up so I sat with my legs dangling over the sill's edge, the glass parting for me as I did. I sat on the ledge for a long time before pushing myself off.

The air blew through my hair as I fell to the earth the glass from the window wrapped around my body slowing my fall. Even though the glass slowed my fall I still hit the ground harder than I wanted almost falling forward face planting in the sandy earth. My rough landing sent jolts of pain throughout my body, stealing my breath away. The pain originating from my wounds on my back wrack through my entire body for several minutes before finally dissipating.

After some difficulties I regained my balance and sent the glass back to the window, the glass solidifying and returned to its original state. I huffed in annoyance because something which should have been easy for me was exceedingly difficult. I had only used a little bit of my chakra yet I was already so worn out.

I stopped for a moment and thought about my weakened state. I knew very well I was weak and currently vulnerable if a strong enemy was to approach me, I was defenseless and would most likely be killed. The thought of dying sickened me, I couldn't die a still caged bird. I was angry I was like this but what made me weak was not the sparring match with Yoko but the nasty wounds on my back. He used poison when he sliced my back up but I couldn't dwell on the past but focus on the present. I already learned dwelling on the past does no good.

But before I could think about where I was going or doing I heard two people talking in the distance and when I listened closer to the voices I realized it was Temari and Sakura. I waited patiently for them to enter the tower before making a hasty retreat into the village because I knew rather sooner than later they would discover I had escaped. They were most likely bringing today's lunch but I would not be eating today and I would not be force fed by him either.

* * *

After a loud and short knock, the door to Gaara's office burst opened and in walked Temari and Sakura carrying lunch for both Gaara and Keiko. Temari immediately noticed Gaara wasn't working on any paperwork which was highly uncharacteristic of him. He was staring at the clock and didn't even acknowledge her or Sakura when they walked in.

The atmosphere was really tense but Temari spoke, "I have lunch" which also elicited no response from Gaara either.

Sakura was looking around the room and was the next to speak, "Umm, where's Kieko?" which drew Gaara's eyes from the clock to Temari and Sakura.

"Bathroom…for the last 21 minutes" Gaara stated.

"I'll go see if she is okay" Sakura said before leaving to check on her. It was only a minute later and Sakura was yelling, "She's not answering me and the door is locked."

"We're coming" yelled Temari before rushing out of the room going in the direction of Sakura's yelling. Gaara followed behind her. When Temari and Gaara both arrived outside the bathroom door, Sakura was banging on the door and yelling, "Keiko, open the door".

Gaara watched Sakura for a moment before placing one hand on her shoulder motioning for her to move. Sakura froze and stepped aside next to Temari wondering what Gaara was about to do. He put one hand on the door knob and both Temari and Sakura watched as sand from his gourd trickled out and slipped under the door. They heard the door lock click signaling it was unlocked now.

"Wait" Temari said but Gaara did not listen and pushed open the door and walked in and then walked immediately out. Temari and Sakura ran into the bathroom after Gaara walked out but like Gaara they saw no one was in the bathroom and the window was firmly shut.

"How, I mean she could have used a shadow clone but she doesn't have enough chakra. Still she would have to walk pass your office and you would have heard her right?" Temari asked after catching up with Gaara.

"Glass" Gaara stated as he descended the stairs.

* * *

Kieko's POV

"Hey you" I heard a voice say. I knew it was directed at me since I was the only one there. It belonged to a young male so I also knew it wasn't a guard. I didn't want to be bothered and pretended like I didn't hear it and quickly turned right into a deserted alleyway.

The moment I turned into the alleyway the person who called out to me started pursuing me. To lose the individual I turned right again and then another left. I ducked under some hanging clothes and entered another deserted street. Everyone must be at lunch I presumed before refocusing my attention on losing the individual tailing behind me.

I looked right then left and then straight ahead determining which way I should go and then I saw a tree next to a glass building. The pain was returning so I couldn't go too far and I was feeling drowsy too, yet I could also hear the person not too far behind me. I ran straight ahead to where the tree was climbing it, hiding myself within the foliage. I leaned back against the trunk believing I outrun the individual pursuing me and also go out of eating lunch with Gaara but my peace came to an end when the voice returned.

"Hey you, that wasn't nice" the boy said. Maybe if I pretended I wasn't here maybe he would leave but I was wrong. "Ya know I almost lost you but that's not important now. Will you hear me out…" he paused waiting for me to answer but I didn't so maybe he would get the hint. Yet again he didn't get the subtle hint I dropped by not answering him.

"I'm taking your silence as a yes. So I'm Hashimoto Daiki currently a genin but I really want to become a chunin so ummm… umm…" he said. I waited for him to continue wondering where this boy was heading in this one sided conversation but I also wondered what anything he just said had anything to do with me. I continued to wait for him to speak but all I heard was him sputtering umms and uhhhs.

"You took my silence as a yes but most people would have taken silence as a no but here you are talking to me so just spit out whatever you are going to say and be gone already" I snapped tired of waiting for him to continue.

"Will you be my sensei?" he blurted out. I felt like time froze and everything got quiet even the birds and insects seemed to still.

"What?" I said.

"Be my sensei, I really want to be a chunin and you are really strong." He said brimming with hope.

My response was quick, "No".

"But" he tried to protest but I cut him off.

"No" I said more firmly.

"If you won't be my sensei I'll tell Lord Gaara you snuck out the bathroom window." He said all at once before I could cut him off again.

I hopped out of the tree landing right in front of him and quickly closed the distance between us. "Ohh really?" I said.

"yes" he squeaked falling onto his ass, I probably looked really intimidating to him although I was actually harmless since I had little chakra on reserve and the pain messed with my focus.

"Lord Gaara probably already knows I'm gone by now so you lost your bargaining chip. Try again." I said.

"Umm… I can be your excuse to leave everyday" he said and then continued "Ummm.. that way you don't have to be stuck in the same room as someone so umm dull and boring".

"Dull and Boring?" I heard a voice belonging to someone I didn't want to see just yet. I'm sure the kids face must have paled when he heard his Kazekage's voice.

"Kid, I'll be your sensei" I said ignoring Gaara's presence.

"Thank you, so much Keiko Sensei you won't regret it" he shouted forgetting his Kazekage stood right behind him. The kid's joy was instantly squashed by his fear as he soon remembered who else was present. He scrambled to his feet bowing to Gaara, "Have a nice day, Lord Gaara. I'll be leaving" he mumbled before running to safety.

When he was far enough away he turned and yelled, "See you tomorrow at noon, Kieko Sensei".

"Sensei?" Gaara asked me.

"Yes. I mean who wants to be with someone so **dull and boring** all day long" I said emphasizing the dull and boring part. I tried to take a step forward only to stumble and instead of falling like I thought I would I was grabbed around the waist by a pair of arms.

"A person who can't even walk without falling is going to be a Sensei?" he said while wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling me close. I tried to pry his hand of my waist but it was no good, I didn't want to be this close to him.

"Behave for once, we have to appear like we are in love, remember." he said giving me a slight squeeze. I nodded my head acknowledging him wrapping one of my own hands around his waist while resting my other hand on the hand he had wrapped around my waist. I didn't want to but like Gaara said I had to fulfill my role.

But we were walking a bit too slow and I dug my nails in his waist. "Walk faster" I snarled under my breath since we were on a street filled with people. And instead of obediently listening to my request he entwined his hand with mine.

"Walk faster? I thought you enjoyed being with me, isn't it the reason why you accepted my proposal" he said amusement evident in his voice. The people parted for us in the street whispering, gossiping, and surely gawking at us as if we were oddities on display.

I could hear snippets of conversations such as _'look at how cute they look together'_ , _'she strong with a good heart greatly suited for Lord Gaara',_ and another statement which sent shivers down my back, _'I'm so envious of her, I wish I could trade places with her.'_ I also wished for something but it was definitely not being stuck with him and his bi-polar ways. They could definitely switch places with me if only that option was available to me.

The walk back to the house was miserable and once entering the house he even refused to let me go. I attempted to struggle out of his arms but my struggles were shortly rewarded with being slung over his shoulder and carried up the stairs. The pain returned as a form of a constant throb from my antics and my current position which caused me to become still rather quickly. Moments later I was plopped onto my bed or I guess I should consider the bed as ours; however, I came to the conclusion he forfeited the bed since he never once slept on it.

He stood in front of me and I either expected him to say something or leave but he did neither. I got fed up and crossed my arms over my chest, "what?" I asked my voice clearly laced with annoyance.

"Show me your wounds" he commanded.

"No" I fired back because I was tired of him and his orders.

"Difficult" he huffed, annoyed too but with my disobedience. "No choice" he all but stated. The battle which pursued shortly after his statement ended quickly, I was the sore loser and he was the winner.

"Why" I whined, desperate for a reason.

"Your back was damp" he said as he removed my shirt with some difficulties since one of his hands currently held both my wrists and I was also still struggling. "Enough" he growled out yanking the shirt off and releasing my wrists.

I attempted to scramble across the bed but a hand grabbed my leg pulling me back across the bed dragging the sheets with me. Another hand pressed down on the middle of my back causing me to hiss in pain. I stopped struggling knowing he would press harder and would not relent until he was sure all the fight was gone from me.

"Good girl" he said sliding one arm under my stomach and pulling me into a sitting position, my back now facing him. The praise he gave me earned him a growl which he utterly ignored and started to unwrap my bandages. I wanted to struggle and fight but I was helpless and it would be pointless to do so. The bandages he unwrapped fell into a messy pile next to me, I didn't have to see to know the bandages were soaked and caked with my blood.

I covered my chest with my arms as the last bandage fell to the bed. I could feel his eyes on my disgusting scar-riddled back studying it but I didn't expect what he did next. His fingers ghosted above my wounds, tracing them but never touching them and the feeling of his fingers just above my skin sent shivers down my spine.

"Stay" he ordered as he got up. I heard him walk to the bathroom and rummage through some drawers. He came back with what I am guessing was bandages and ointment depositing them on the bed next to me. He popped open the lid to some type of ointment lathering the cream on his fingers. I held my breath waiting for the pain when his fingers would touch my back with the ointment but for awhile nothing happened.

"So many old scars coupled with fresh wounds" he informed me as one of his fingers skittered across a fresh wound leaving a trail of ointment. The action caused me to hiss in pain.

"What weapon did they use to cause this?" he stated instead of asking me while repeating the same action as earlier but doing it to a different wound. I gritted my teeth this time as the pain flared up again.

"A kunai? A knife?" he stated once again instead of asking me repeating his actions once again. I cringed when I felt the pain return again and I bit into my lower lip to stop my voice.

He paused before speaking again, "Did you sit still?" he asked this time, brushing his thumb over a highly sensitive spot and resting it on the same spot. The pain was excruciating and I bit into my lip even harder causing my teeth to slice my lip open in order to muffle my cry and when I didn't answer his question he rubbed his thumb in small circles on the very same spot.

"Yessss" I hissed in agony. "I sat very very still all the while they sliced and tore into my back with a blade and no it didn't happen just once but many many times" I hissed and screamed all at once. His thumb let up the moment I answered him and I let out a sigh of relief.

I sagged forward relieved for a brief amount of time before his fingers slathered the rest of my wounds with cream. I howled out in pain from his unexpected touch.

"Bastard" I muttered under my breath. I don't know if he heard me or not but if he did he choose to ignore it and then I heard him pick of the fresh bandages and I spoke up, "I can wrap my own wounds". I reached out with one hand to grab the bandages while my other hand still covered my chest.

He slapped my hand away which stunned me and started to wrap the bandages around my wounds. He began at the bottom of my back and slowly worked his way up. He was too close to my breasts now and I started to swat his hands away with one hand, "I can finish bandaging myself" I whined desperately.

"Stop acting like a child and move your hands away" he ordered and when I refused he captured both my wrists pulling them above my head while he continued to wrap the rest of my wounds.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you" I kept repeating over and over until he was done wrapping the last part of my wounds. I said a finally "I hate you" turning around to face him. I had some difficulties turning around since he still had a tight grip on my wrists.

"Yes, I already know" he said and took his now free hand and began to untie the purple ribbon covering my eyes.

"If you do this I will hate you forever" I snarled and threatened. He ignored me and the ribbon fell away from my face the knot coming undone with a final tug. He let my wrists go the moment the ribbon fell away from my face and I instantly brought them to my lap, while casting my eyes downwards.

"Look at me" he commanded, I hesitated at first but my eyes slowly traveled up his body. I noted the full-length dark trousers, the long sleeved crimson coat, the two gray buckle belts, and the grey chest protector; however, my eyes stopped at his chin refusing to look up any further.

"Look at me" he commanded again and I still did not look still hesitating. Why would I hesitate, do I really care if he too thinks I am a monster? I didn't have time to question myself more before my chin was jerked upwards so I was now looking at him.

My eyes were immediately drawn to his short naturally spiky crimson hair. The next thing which caught my eye was the kanji tattoo on his forehead which read love. I leaned closer my hand reached up drawn to his face. I wanted to touch what my eyes saw but I pulled my hand away at the last moment feeling ashamed of my action.

Although, I pulled my hand away I still studied his face. The next feature my eyes settled on were his eyes, they were a pretty pale cyan. I was fascinated by the color and soon forgot my shame for wanting to touch his face.

"Why do you hide your eyes?" he asked. This time I responded to his question.

"Do you not see a monster looking at you?" I asked instead of giving him an answer.

"No" he replied without any hesitation or thought.

"No?" I asked confused by his answer.

"Yes, I said no." he reassured me.

"You are a fool then." I simple informed him.

"Do you see a monster" he asked repeating my question back at me.

"No" I said. The only monster in the room is me, the monster hidden in the rain.

"I will trust your words but you must trust in mine." he said. I was confused by his words; how can I see the monster if the monster is me. His thumb brushed my cheek causing me to shiver from the pure gentleness of it, the feeling was not completely foreign to me but more long forgotten. I studied his face trying to decipher what he was thinking or feeling but I could not.

"Never will I trust in anyone" I said my voice empty of all emotions, the last time I had placed trust in someone it did not end well for me.

He leaned closer to me, his face directly in front of mine, "You will learn to trust me until then I will keep this. Also, it will serve as precaution so you won't run away from me" He said his breath fanning my face.

I was confused by what he meant but then I realized what he was talking about; however, it was too late. His hands slide away from face leaving a trail of warmth behind as he turned to leave. I saw the purple ribbon entwined in his other hand.

"Wait" I cried out, "Give that back its mine". She gave it to me, the only thing I had left of her. He was already in the doorway by the time I called out to him but he stopped in the doorway which rekindled my hope he would give my prize possession back to me.

"What is yours is mine, Keiko, remember that and do not worry I will take very good care of it and good night" he said a smirk playing across his features as he walked out of the room closing the door behind him. I tried to stand to chase after him but I lost strength in my legs falling back onto the bed on my side.

I looked up before trying to get up again and saw a mirror reflecting my image. I stared right into my mismatched eyes, I was truly a monster. After staring at myself in the mirror I curled up in a ball on the bed feeling truly pathetic and hideous. My eyelids felt heavy all of sudden and I closed them, maybe taking a nap will allow me to forget about the monster in the mirror.


	7. Shukaku

Keiko's POV

I woke up cold, very cold. I couldn't stop myself from shivering. I rolled over in a sitting position cradling my body trying to stay as warm as possible. I eased one foot onto the ice cold floor and slowly stood up but when I did my joints and bones cracked painfully because I had fallen asleep in a weird position at the end of the bed. But I felt strange something was different.

I glanced around the room still shivering and realized I must have awoken early in morning since the first hints of light were streaming through the window. Maybe that's why I felt strange because I am not normally awake at this hour of the day. However, I still felt off and continued to look around the room before my eyes landed on the mirror on the dresser.

I looked strange and I realized the whole time I could see. Immediately, I covered my eyes with my hands and after standing there for what felt like an eternity, I peeked between my fingers looking at myself in the mirror.

I looked different now from what I used to look like in the past. I appeared delicate, soft, and fragile but I was none of those things. Maybe I was now but I never used to be. I walked closer to the mirror until one of my fingers was touching my reflection in the glass. I looked at the creature in the mirror which was me but not me, I had become this for her.

'Is this what friends do?' I thought and was instantly rewarded with pain in between my eyes, forgetting the thought I just had. A headache was blossoming because I was trying to recall a memory I had lost when I changed. I pulled my hand away from the mirror and cradled my aching head, and when I looked back up I found myself staring at mismatched eyes, one light green and one dark blue.

They were the only things that did not change, I don't think they would ever change. My memory was foggy as to why I covered my eyes in the first place, I just couldn't remember. I just knew I never used to hide my eyes or be like the creature I saw in the mirror.

'When did I change and why did I change? I think it was for her' I thought and once again I was rewarded with a sharp pain in between my eyes. I closed my eyes the pain making it difficult to think and see straight. An uncontrollable rage filling me as I fought to remember and with my other hand I threw everything off the dresser and then smashed the mirror.

Still cradling my head with one hand, I opened my eyes and stared at my reflection in the broken mirror. A memory from the past freeing itself.

 _'Look at its hideous eyes it's a monster' a man yelled._

 _'Kill it' another man yelled._

'Hurry before it escapes' a bunch of men are screaming now.

 _I'm running, I'm scared, alone, and lost. Why do they want to hurt me, why are they calling me a monster? I never hurt anyone so why do they want to hurt me? I'm tired I want to rest; I don't want to die._

 _The trees whipped past me as I ran, the men's voices becoming distant the further I went into the dark forest my legs propelling me to go even faster. I turned my head to see if I could still see the light from their torches, but I couldn't see any. In the split second I turned my head to look behind me I slipped and fell, tumbling off a steep cliff._

 _I tried to dig into anything but it was too wet and slippery and I was going to fast now. Unable to stop myself from rolling down the cliff I hit rocks and trees on the way down which sliced and tore into my body. I reached the bottom of the cliff quickly and found myself submerged in fast moving water._

 _I tried to reach the surface but the rapid moving water pulled me under and began tossing me around like a ragdoll. I continued to be smashed against more things and finally the need for air became too great. The moment I breathed in, water flooded my lungs and I started to choke. Instinctually, my hands clawed at the water in a fit of rage but I became tired quickly, darkness swallowing my vision._

 _'Was this how I was going to die?' I thought but fate had other plans for me as a log smashed into me sending me back to the surface. I hit the surface and immediately started expelling the water from my lungs while kicking and flailing my limbs about._

 _The rest of my time in the raging water was a blur but I ended up on a sandy beach at some point. I was tired and wanted to close my eyes but I had to get away from the river, if I were to be pulled in again I would not resurface. I was shaking like a leaf but I crawled to the safety of the tree line, my body collapsing underneath a big oak tree. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and my last thought was 'if they find me I won't wake up again' but it didn't seem to matter, I didn't care anymore._

When the memory ended I was in the bedroom on the floor my back against the dresser, blood dripping from my hand most likely from smashing the mirror. I couldn't remember how I ended up on the floor but the memory was all too real. I stood up on wobbly feet, the flashback had drained me emotionally and physically. I knew I couldn't find any rest here; the only place I could was there even though my mind fought the idea.

* * *

Gaara entered his office surprised by what he saw, on the couch was Keiko sprawled out sleeping. He could feel Shukaku waking up from its slumber when he mentioned Keiko name in his mind and he should have ignored her presence like he did so many times before because something about her drew the tanuki to the surface. However, some unworldly force was compelling him and his eyes continued to travel down her body. He noticed she wore a black long sleeved shirt, his shirt and hearing his comment about her wearing his shirt pleased the rage monster for some reason. His eyes traveled even further but he stopped where the shirt ended, she had no pants on just his shirt. He wanted to look but he hesitated.

This seemed to egg Shukaku on, he goaded Gaara to look where the shirt began to bunch up on Keiko waist. When Gaara refused Shukaku, the tenuki started wrestling with him for control. It wasn't the first time the Shukaku fought him for control concerning Keiko, back in the arena when she fought and her blood was spilled the tenuki clawed at the surface in a rage desperate to kill the one responsible for harming her. There were also several other times the tenuki surfaced in Keiko's presence and he had to do everything in his power to silence the sand demon.

 ** _'Why fight me boy, I know you crave the same thing as I. Right now you want to look as well.'_** Gaara refused to reply, he wanted to look but he refused to listen to the perverted demon. **_'she's ours, made just for us boy_** ' the demon rumbled from the depths of Gaara's mind growing more and more agitated with his host's refusal.

'Ours?' Gaara questioned the tenuki. ' ** _Yes, ours'_** the demon hissed.

He beginning to lose the battle with the sand demon unable to find a good enough reason not to look. His eyes were slowly drifting back to where the shirt bunch up on her waist. When his eyes drifted lower, Shukaku immediately honed in on her backside making lewd comments which Gaara pushed away. Although, he didn't generally make it a habit to look at other females he didn't need Shukaku to inform him how nice, round, and pert her arse was compared to other females.

 ** _'She could use to gain a couple of pounds, feels better when you fuck'_** the tenuki crackled. Gaara wanted to face palm himself. He kicked the coffee table in agitation sending an array of stuff to roll off it all the while the tenuki was still crackling in the recesses of his mind.

The noise alarmed Keiko causing her to sit straight up, nails digging into the couch her eyes wild. Her eyes searched for danger before settling on Gaara, he stared into her eyes. It was not the Keiko he knew but something more feral and animalistic was staring at him. He kept staring as her as the wildness slowly receded from her eyes and her breathing went back to normal. The Shukaku like Gaara was entranced by her eyes.

"Gaara?" she asked unsure what was happening snapping them both out of their trance like state.

Although, she asked him a question he didn't hear it due to the tenuki's pestering. **'Look, look, look, look, her hand'** Shukaku urged him. He was no longer fighting for control and Gaara's eyes refocused on her hand. He stared at it, her right hand wasn't like that last night. The hand was bandaged and it was done rather sloppily.

 **"** What happened to your hand" he asked.

"Fell" she said her eyes narrowing at his interrogation.

 **'She lying'** the demon growled.

"You're lying" he said his voice becoming raspy.

"Not" she growled back. Shukaku was displeased and so was Gaara with her continued lying, ' **Punish her boy'** he growled.

Kieko watched as cyan blue eyes flickered ominously to gold and black and decided she was in some sort of danger. She tried to flee but it was too late Gaara was on top of her pinning her to the couch. Her back was against his chest, her uninjured arm bent painfully back in his grip while her free hand gripped the arm of the couch.

She was struggling trying to throw him off but he firmly pinned her to the couch ending any possibility of escape she had. "Why are you lying to me" he growled in her ear, he wasn't sure if it was Shukaku or him anymore. When she didn't answer him he dug his nails or actually what were now claws into the wrist he held puncturing the skin. His other hand captured her injured hand.

He brought the injured hand to his face and tugged the loose bandages off. He noted the wounds covering her hand were not caused from a fall liked she said so she really was lying to them like Shukaku said. "Answer me" he growled out again but yet again he wasn't sure if it was him talking or Shukaku but still she refused to answer him. He could feel her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage like a frightened animal, her breaths heavy and erratic.

However, her continued silence irritated him, maybe Shukaku, or perhaps both of them Gaara wasn't really sure at this point. He flipped their position's so now they were both sitting up, she was on his lap her back still firmly pressed against his chest. Again Gaara wasn't sure who was in control now him or the sand demon. He brought his face to the junction of her neck closing his eyes and breathed in, her scent was intoxicating. It was a mixture of smells; he could smell the desert after a rain storm on her skin but he could also smell underlying smell of death and blood mixed in.

He opened his eyes and placed his chin on her neck and look at her sliced and cut up hand. He could tell the wounds was fresh, the blood was still oozing from the cuts. "Well" he hissed while he brought the injured hand back up to his face. Again she refused to answer him and tried to wrestle her injured hand away but he quickly squashed her rebellion by pulling on her other hand which was still bent awkwardly behind her back.

It pleased them when she became still although, oddly enough both he and Shukaku liked when she rebelled against them. Seeing the injured hand just in front of his face with blood dripping from it gave him an idea which Shukaku insisted he acted upon. Again in this daze like state he could not find a good enough reason not to listen to the sand demon.

Keiko flinched when she felt something wet and rough lap her wounded hand. From her peripheral vision she saw his tongue flick out greedily lapping up the blood from her hand. It felt weird on her skin, it was rough and bumpy much like a cat's tongue and when it came in contact with her skin it hurt. She flinched again when the tongue swiped across her hand once more not only lapping up the blood but scrapping the skin off with it.

She was completely shocked; her mind was unable to grasp what was happening to her. She had to get away and was about to struggle again until his eyes which were previously focused on her hand glanced up at her locking contact with her own. She froze when his eyes captured hers and she watch as a cruel smile spread across his face.

He slowly took one of her fingers, of course the one with the most cuts and scrapes and put it in his mouth but not before nipping the tip of it with his teeth which earned him a small whimper. He paused for a second before he decided he liked the noise she just made. He wanted to hear more so he rolled his tongue around the finger playfully and he would occasionally nip her finger trying to earn another sound from her.

He had forgotten about his original objective, he just wanted to hear more of the same noises issuing from her mouth, the noises he caused. He also liked how she fought to hold the noises in and he wondered how long it would take for her to give in.

She couldn't hold it in anymore "Ahhh" she moaned out loud. She was embarrassed a noise like that came from her and she bit into her lip when she felt a similar noise tickling her throat wanting release. He was making her feel weird and she didn't like this feeling, it was strange and unfamiliar. "Okay, Okay" she pleaded the sensation was returning in waves and she was having trouble holding back more of the odd noises she just made.

"I waszz annngrry so so angry I broke the mirrroor and the glass shhhhatereed and hurt myyy hand. I'mmm so so sorry" she whimpered and pleaded before she bit into her lip again.

He gave a final suck and slowly pulled her finger from his mouth his tongue trailed along the underside of her finger as he did. She shuddered and gave a slight moan as her finger left the heat of his mouth.

"See, how easy that was" he whispered in the junction of her neck, he let go of the hand behind her back but still kept a firm grip on her injured hand. Although, he let go of one of her hands she didn't make a move to escape.

She sat there on his lap unmoving still somewhat in shock over the event that just took place. She was still in a daze and watched as a first aid kit floated through the air transported by his sand. When it reached them it clicked open and with his free hand he grabbed fresh bandages from it and quickly went to work wrapping her hand up. She sat patiently on his lap while he did it.

"You are not allowed to wander around without someone with you which means Temari, Kankuro, or myself must be with you." He spoke, his voice was now somewhat normal she noticed. Still traumatized, his words had yet to fully sink in her head but it probably wouldn't change anything though.

There was a brief knock at the door before it swung open and in walked Kankuro. It looked like he had something important to say but his face changed drastically when he spied both Keiko and Gaara on the couch.

"Umm, I hope I'm not interrupting anything" he said unsure what he was looking at.

"I'm just wrapping the wound on her hand." Gaara stated, pushing her off his lap and onto the couch beside him. He was annoyed he had to leave the warmth of body but Kankuro was here. He got up and walked over to his desk, sitting in the chair behind it. Kankuro looked to Kieko then to Gaara trying to figure out what had happened before he walked in but Gaara interrupted his train of thought

"Yes?" Gaara asked.

Kankuro began talking about the Chunin exam but he had a hard time listening to what his brother had to say. The tenuki was being rather difficult ignore at the moment. To indicate he was listening he would nod his head every time Kankuro paused.

 ** _'Imagine her boy, her voice strained from screaming your name, her eyes half lidded in pleasure, her nails digging into your arms when you have her bent over…...'_** He immediately silenced the sand demon. He disliked how much Shukaku liked her and especially hated that he himself didn't find what the tenuki suggested a few seconds ago repulsive. He also didn't find the moment they shared earlier disgusting like he should have.

He could feel her staring at him, probably confused at what had perspired moments ago. After a while her body sagged until she flopped back down on the couch closing her eyes, he figured she didn't understand what had happened and gave up trying to figure it out. He really didn't know what had happened either.

After Kankuro left one of her eyes peeled opened and she stared at him waiting for him to do something. He smirked and gave her something to think about, "Don't disobey me next time otherwise you'll find yourself in a similar situation. Although, we like it when you're disobedient. I doubt you'll listen to me without some needed ramifications on my part." He stated, he knew he was right she would never obey him which pleased him for some reason. He also knew she heard and understood him when she made an angry sound affect with her mouth and rolled over so her back was now facing him which meant her uncovered ass too.

In the dark corners of his mind he felt Shukaku appreciating the view she given them but he had to agree with the rage monster on one thing, they both disliked it when she was hurt. Resuming his normally routine he felt oddly contented even though he was behind schedule. While working he would steal glances at Keiko watching the raise and fall of chest and realized something new. He liked being close to her, it soothed him like Shukaku. However, he still had to listen to the demon's complaints about how he failed to get them any further action for the rest of the day.


	8. Author's Note

**Author's Note:The prologue has been added so all the chapters are in order now. I also i just like to add a thank you to the people who review. Also, dont forget to check out the person who i am competing with, her story is devoted to a puppet, a sasorixoc fanfiction. We are friends so i appreciate it if you check her story out. Also her story and mine are going to entwine in the future. Another note my story is not a tragedy, so no worries because i don't like tragedies and i don't like when others don't post that their book is a tragedy so my story will have a good ending and possibly a epilogue but that depends how fast i get my chapters out before i start bostbacc school.**

 **Thanks! :)**


	9. First Kiss

Keiko's POV

The days went by slowly for me, I been here for over a month now and in a few more months I would be married to a man I could not stand at all. Married to a man like him, as I glared hateful at him from my spot on the couch. He couldn't get any more boring and dull, he would work on endless paperwork, talk to even more boring people, and listen to the most boring individuals.

I took naps to pass the time but still time went by slowly. It seems just like how slow time goes by here little here changes too. Some things have changed like that girl, Sakura left so I didn't have to deal with any more of her annoying questions. He also stopped asking me questions and he has been way kinder to me which is gross; however, it could be some trick but I'm not really sure. I was also able to find out more information about that girl, Yoko I fought and apparently she able to materialize one's own fear. It was an interesting but dangerous talent. If I hadn't used up all my chakra then it would have been bad but other than that it has been quiet, no more incidents since that day when Gaara stuck my finger in his mouth and started licking it…...

It was better not to think too much about it the memory made me feel weird and already I could feel my face heating up. I turned my face away from Gaara and decided looking out the window was a better idea. Like always nothing eventful was happening outside and I could feel myself dozing off and allowed my eyelids to slide close. It was really peaceful here and it reminded me of another time somewhere else but where... I never did finish my thought before falling asleep.

I woke up feeling freely refreshed compared to before but still a little groggy. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my back, yawning quite loudly. The first thing I noticed was Gaara was not in his office and it was also after lunch time which was unusual but something probably came up. Him not being here was probably an opportunity for me to investigate the village but I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

I sighed, I really wasn't acting like myself anymore, I felt like I was losing myself but at the same time remembering who I used to be. I sighed again, maybe I was going stir crazy because I wasn't one to sit idle for long periods of time doing nothing. I was always on missions because I was just a thing, weapon, and a monster to be used and when the war ended and peace treaties were made with the numerous lands I was no longer needed. I was thrown aside when I wasn't usable anymore. Why need a dangerous and uncontrollable weapon if you don't need it even Konan thought the same. A sighed once more, at least I fulfilled my promise although, I can't really recall what the promise was now. I just know I fulfilled it but what was it again….

I tried to remember but I couldn't. The only promise I could remember was the promised I made to be that kid's sensei but Gaara forbade me to and told me he would take care of it. I wondered if the kid every found a new sensei to help him become stronger for the chunin exams, they were only a month away now. It bothered me I couldn't help the kid out but I couldn't do much Gaara had kept me on a tight leash. But what really bothered me that I couldn't remember my promise to her, my memory was so spotty.

A cold breeze blew in from the open window and I dismissed my thoughts if I can't remember then maybe I wanted to forget. The breeze felt good against my skin and helped ease my thoughts, maybe I would take another nap I still felt groggy. I flopped back down on the couch and enjoyed the warmth from the sunlight which filtered through the window. Its rays felt good against my skin and I could feel it lulling me back to sleep but it would not be a peaceful sleep. Memories refusing to be forgotten would haunt me in the form of dreams and they were not happy memories.

 _My pace was slow and grueling, my eyes swept across the ruined landscape searching for movement. My ears were perked for the slightest of sounds. Each step was painful but it was not the physical pain that tormented me. I just wanted the pain to stop, for anything to soothe it and the only thing which eased my pain was…..._

 _"Wah wahhhh waaa waaaahh"_

 _And there it was, a baby's cries, it was a lullaby to my ears. My lips peeled back revealing rows of sharp and terrible teeth, I knew it was wrong but I couldn't stop. The pain wouldn't allow me to stop and I pushed myself forward in the direction of the sound. When had i become like this?... I couldn't think straight something other than me compelled me forward._

 _I bounded effortlessly over the wreckage and dead bodies in search of that noise. I knew this wasn't me, but the haze over my mind didn't allow for rational thought. I wanted to destroy and dismember everything to relieve myself of this torment, it didn't matter what it was as long as it quelled this need, a need which didn't belong to me but someone else. Who's need was it?..._

 _'Shhhhh, you must be quiet so the monster won't find us" a mother panicked trying to hush her baby and I knew I was not too far away. I landed in a patch of sandy dirt nearby clear of rubble and the baby still wailed at the top of lungs, the mother unable to quiet it. They resided in the building in front of me._

 _The building had survived the initial attack and it was slanted and ready to collapse but it seemed to refuse to do so as if it knew it sheltered two lives inside. I crept upon the building imagining myself taking the lives of both mother and child, imagined myself watching the life leave their eyes and the relief it would give me._

 _I failed to notice the male right away. He charged towards me wielding a flimsy piece of wood in his hands, he could have escaped but he chooses to die instead trying to save what was probably his wife and child._

 _"Die, foul beast" he screamed swinging the wood at me. His anger and determination amused me, I dodged it and attacked. I sunk my teeth into his throat, which would free the ruby liquid from its container._ _When I released my hold the hot liquid drenched my face and ground with fresh blood. I watched his final moments, his body jerking in the throes of death, the sounds of him choking on his own blood, and the hatred for my being fading from his eyes. The sounds and sights were filling but not entirely satisfying._

 _I heard the wail of the baby again and moved closer to the building. Ending the life of something so innocent and precious might end this madness I was in. I entered the building, my weight causing the floorboards to creak ominously. I walked further into the building searching for it and then I found it._

 _The moon's light illuminated the mother who laid huddled in the corner. Her body was covered in grime, blood, and dirt. She clutched her child tightly to her body since it was the last defense for protecting the child that laid in her arms. When she spotted me her body went rigid in fear of not of her own life but for her child's life. The scene before me was pitiful. 'Disgusting' I thought but it didn't feel like my thought._

 _I took a step closer stepping into the moon's light which filtered through the holes of the damaged building and something odd happened. The fear dissipated from her eyes and recognition filled them when the woman saw my body in the moon's light, it confused me but it would not matter I would kill them either way._

 _'Kill, destroy, and end' the man whispered in my head causing me extreme agony. I shook my head vigorously trying to rid the man's voice from my head. 'End them' he whispered again. I just wanted it to end, it hurt so much. I hated his voice, why couldn't I be left alone._

 _Yes, like before alone, in that forest. It was peaceful there with the creatures that inhabited that place, it was my place. But then there was so much blood and death if i didn't leave that day it wouldn't have happened. And there was the fire that consumed everything that still lived. It hurt so bad..._

 _"Keiko" the woman said while one hand reached towards me. Is that my name, how did she know my name? The fog was lifting from my mind but it hurt so bad and I lashed out snapping my teeth at her hand. She pulled back at the last second, fear returning to her eyes._

 _"What's happened to you? Whose blood is that's" she whispered._

 _The man's voice returned, 'they are all evil' he whispered. I didn't want to, I whined miserably backing up cloaking myself once again in the darkness. 'Kill her and the child, they are the same as all the others' the man snarled in my head. Pain seared through my body. 'The madness will leave if you just listen' he whispered soothingly._

 _If I listened maybe it will go away. I took a step forward and then another, I just had to listen and all my pain would leave, I bared my teeth menacingly. But then the oddest thing happen which caused me to stop in my tracks, the small child she clutched so protectively stumbled towards me._

 _'Why did she let go?' I asked myself._

 _"Noo" she pleaded trying to reach her child but was unable to, her foot was stuck in the rubble. "Keiko, please I beg of you spare my child" she pleaded again, tears falling from her eyes. "I know this isn't the real you, I know you are in there, so please spare my child". The child crawled closer to me, to the thing which would kill it._

 _"If you can hear me know that we deserve what we got but please the child is innocent of any crime that was committed, so please" she begged._

 _The child who cried so furiously before was making happy gurgling noises, its hands reaching towards me in awe. It was so small and innocent, I felt a single tear run down my face. It was the first tear I had since that day in the forest was on fire._

 _The man voice returned commanded me to do as he bid. I stood there watching the child crawl closer to me, I just had to listen._

I couldn't stop the tears; I was so sad. I could hear someone, they sounded far away. What were they saying?

"Shhhhh. I'm right here. It's just a bad dream" he whispered softly. His voice was nice it wasn't like the other man's voice. I wanted to see this person, the person who spoke so kindly to me but I was scared what if he hated me too. Because I was a monster.

"I'm scared" I hiccupped, I couldn't stop the tears.

"Scared of what?" he asked.

"That you'll hate me when I open my eyes."

"Why would that make me hate you?" he asked.

"I've done terrible things. I've hurt so many people, you'll know when you see my eyes…" I hiccupped again, the tears wouldn't stop flowing.

"I promise I won't hate you so open your eyes." He said. Could I trust him? He sounded so believable, I hesitantly opened my eyes.

My eyes met his and I couldn't detect any disgust or hatred when he saw my eyes, why when everyone else saw a monster?

* * *

"Thank you, Gaara" she hiccupped while burying her head in his chest. His hands instinctively wrapped around her caging her in his arms and then she hesitantly wrapped her own arms around him so her hands clutched the back of his shirt. He realized how right it felt her being in his arms but her continued sobbing distracted him from that thought. He was lost as what to do in order to comfort her but he remembered how he seen others do it and brought one hand up to her head and begin stroking her hair.

The moment he started stroking her hair she let out an audible sigh and her crying slowly subsided. After a while, he felt her breathing return to normal and he assumed she had fallen asleep in his arms. He had work to do but he decided he could slack off for a little bit and he carefully readjusted himself in order not to wake her so he could lie down on the couch with her.

He felt comfortable lying on the couch with her basking in the sun's warmth while a cool breeze drifted in from the open window. He leaned his head back on the arm of the couch and allowed himself to relax. He didn't fail to notice that she called him by his name for the first time which made him smile slightly and he continued to stroke her hair thinking about before she came here.

Every day was dull and boring but when she arrived she caused nothing but problems and more work and she only been here for little over a month now. When he first saw her he felt she was nothing more than a doll but he was wrong. Everything she did was interesting, she was so curious about everything and he was sure if he questioned her about things she would pretend she knew when she actually didn't. Then there were the wounds and scars that littered her back which indicated she did not come from a loving home and that should have made her mean but it didn't. She may act mean and tough but she wasn't.

And then there was Shukaku, the tailed beast that resided within him. If he could sum up what he was like in two words then it would be a drunken pervert. He always feared Shukaku taking over his body while he slept but after the war, he and Shukaku were on friendlier terms but still he disliked sleeping. However, with her, he felt at peace and he could tell Shukaku did as well and who would have thought such a small thing could tame such a fierce demon he still struggled with. Her in his arms made him so sleepy and he slowly drifted off to sleep and memories he was forced to forget would come back to him in the form of dreams reminding him of something important.

 _"Who are you" he snarled._

 _"Me?" the girl asked innocently pointing to her face._

 _"Yes you, don't play games with me" he snarled again making his sand squeeze her painfully._

 _"I came here to kill you, but I don't wanna." She said playfully, she didn't seem affected by the pain._

 _"Sending you, don't make me laugh" he snarled out._

 _"What's wrong with me, huh?" she said._

 _"Sending a child to do their dirty work, how pathetic," he said._

 _"Child huh, you think that ill of me. I could kill you…." She said her voice losing its childish tone._

 _"Then try," he said._

 _"I said I don't want to"_

 _"I'm going to kill you so why not?" he asked._

 _"Because…"_

 _"I asked you a question" he snarled, giving another painful squeeze._

 _"Because it's sad" she whispered._

 _"What's so sad?" he asked and started to throw her around like a ragdoll. He hated her attitude._

 _"The only reason they want you dead is because they fear you" She stated._

 _"And you're not?" he asked, suspending her in the air._

 _"No" she answered._

 _"Why not?" he asked. They were all scared of the monster of him._

 _"Because I understand." She said sadly._

 _"How would you?" he snapped. "No one could understand how I feel"_

 _"Because unlike you, I am a real monster" she responded._

 _"You a monster, you're just a little girl and why are you covering your eyes for? What are you hiding? If you don't tell me, I'll kill you" he said real anger seeping in his voice._

 _"My eyes tell those who see them I am a monster," she said and t_ _he purple ribbon fell away revealing to mismatched eyes, one green and one blue._

 _"I still don't see a monster," he said._

 _"Then you're stupid, brat" she spat._

 _"How am I a brat? I should kill you for lying to me." He snapped._

 _"Then do it" she snapped back._

 _"I don't want to…. Because you're not scared of me like the others…." he said his voice getting quiet._

 _"Huh?" she asked._

 _"I said you're not scared of me so I don't want to." He yelled._

 _"You should, I might kill you one day, your friends, your family, and anything you hold dear." she said her voice serious._

 _"Well, I don't…. Don't have friends, never had them. My mother is dead, my father hates me, and my siblings are scared of me." He said turning his face away from her._

 _"Friends… aren't that great but a family I never had that so I can't say but I can be your family" she said perking up at the end of her sentence._

 _"I can't be your family; we're not related," he said confused by her words._

 _"Yeah we can." She said smiling._

 _"How?" he asked still confused._

 _"Put me down and I'll tell you." She said._

 _"Okay," he said, dropping her._

 _"Oucchhh. That hurt." She whined._

 _"Well?" he said getting close to her face curious about how they could be a family without being related._

 _"Like this," she said kissing him on the lips._

 _"What was that for!" he yelled falling backwards while covering his lips with one hand while the other rested on the ground. He was blushing like mad._

 _"Don't you know moms and dads aren't related but they're still family, silly," she said giggling. "Since we're going to be family; I need to know your name," she said still giggling._

 _"Gaara of the Desert" he mumbled still blushing._

 _"Gaara of the Desert," she murmured back._

He woke up and realized he had met her 10 years ago but how could he forget... The more he thought about it the more the memory came back in bits and pieces. He was forced to forget he knew that much now but he wondered if she remembered and he had a feeling she was forced to forget to. He would remember the rest eventually but now that he thought about it, she had stolen his first kiss and was his first crush. 'What an ill-mannered brat she was' he thought. The next thing he focused on was what she said about them becoming a family.

"Family," he said out loud. The idea seemed nice and made him want one with her. The hard part was trying to persuade her into wanting one again, she was different now than she was back then; she was now a skittish, untrusting, and cankerous adult. He sighed loudly it would not be easy he didn't even know what her past 10 years were like. He wished he could go back in time to when he was a child and kept those men from taking her away but he couldn't he just need to focus on the present. This time, he would not let her slip through his fingers, he would create this family with her that she spoke of. He could feel her stirring and figured he probably woke her up.

She lifted her head, her mismatched eyes opened making contact with his own eyes. He could tell sleep still clung to her and she was unaware of her position and what had occurred before she slept. After staring at him for a moment and realizing where she was, she panicked and tried to scramble off of him and out of his embrace but he kept her pinned to his chest unwilling to let her go.

'Making me feel embarrassed as a kid, stealing my first kiss, and making me fall in love with you. I want some payback for what you did to me all those years ago." He thought as he stared into her panic stricken eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked squirming in his arms.

"Do you know…" he asked.

"Know what?" she asked still struggling to get away. She felt uncomfortable. How could she fall asleep in on him like this, in a position like this? She currently laid on top of him, her face inches away from his own. But try as she might she couldn't get away since he one arm securely wrapped around the small of her back.

"Do you know to be a family you don't need to be related?" he asked.

His question confused her, "What do you mean? I'm confused" she asked.

"Like this," he said cupping her face with one hand while he leaned up brushing his lips against hers. His mouth moved against hers gently and the feel of his lips against hers was making her feel odd again and she didn't like it. It was soft and slow and she couldn't help but notice how good his lips felt against hers. She kept telling herself to pull away but her body refused to listen to her as if it were desperate for his touch. He finally pulled away from her, opening his eyes which were now full of need and want.

"Why?" she whined confused by his actions and the strangeness he caused her to feel every time he touched her like this.

"Why what?" he asked somewhat lazily like he got a taste of something he liked and was thinking about having more. "The kiss you mean?" he asked and before she could say anything else his mouth meshed against hers again but it was not gentle like last time.

She had no time to react to the kiss and before she knew it he sought to deepen the kiss as he ran his tongue across her plump lips seeking access to her mouth. He nipped roughly at her lips when she refused to give him access causing her to gasp involuntarily allowing his tongue to delve inside her moist cavern.

She knew she should be fighting him and whatever strange feeling he brought in her but she couldn't get her body to listen to her head. And the longer the kiss ensued the more she allowed herself to be lulled into the sensation finally succumbing and ultimately surrendering herself to him. She let her eyes flutter close and began to timidly kiss him back.

When he felt her respond to him, he was relentless. His hand which rested at the small of her back traveled to cup her ass while he teased her tongue with his own. When she fought him for control he gave her ass as quick and firm squeeze causing her to moan into the kiss and once again allowing him to dominate her. The reaction delighted him and he craved more. He pushed his tongue further into her mouth tasting and also taunting her becoming rough; however soon she craved oxygen and pounded her small fists against his chest.

"Need…. Air…" she gasped when their lips parted for few seconds. He didn't want to and so with a sigh, he pulled away while she gasped for air hungrily. He watched her intently fully satisfied with himself for what he did to her which was making her heaping pile of goo on top of him. He was mesmerized by how red her face became with embarrassment, how she struggled to breathe properly again, and her eyes were half-lidded from the pleasure he had given her. He noted saliva had pooled in the corner of her mouth from their intense kiss and he swiped his thumb across her lips sensually to remove it. The slight brush of his thumb caused her to shiver which made his smirk widen and realize something new. She was very sensitive to touch and wondered if it was just his touch she reacted to like this.

'She looks perfect like this' he thought gingerly. 'A complete and utter mess because of one simple kiss, I can't imagine what she would look like and what her reaction would be if I went a bit further' he hummed to himself. He wanted to do more but he felt someone approaching his office so he would have to stop here for now...

"Your face looks lovely like this and I don't mind if others see us but someone is coming up the stairs as I speak. I don't think you want others to see you like this do you, Keiko?…..." he said his voice husky and a smirk still gracing his features. He didn't have to wait long for her to remove herself from him and scurry to the other side of the couch away from him but he was a little distraught that she was quick to remove herself from him. But anyone walking in would know what they were just doing since her lips were still red and moist from their kiss and they would know she belonged to him

He watched her rub her lips furiously, a scowl and glare replacing the heated expression she once had. 'Ahh, her eyes immediately go back to that hateful glaring she did all morning. Well, I don't mind it as long as she still looks at me' he thought.

"Your face looks good like that too," he said which only made her scowl and glare worse.

There was a slight knock at the door before Kankuro walked in. He made a face when he saw Keiko and then Gaara but he chose not to comment this time but he would undoubtfully report it to Temari.


	10. Presents

Avoiding Gaara had not been easy and I didn't know how long I could keep it up for either. The kiss was not the entire reason I been avoiding him. The real reason I have been avoiding him is ever since the kiss he has been so touchy feely with me...

 _Flashback (2 Days Ago)_

 _Gaara was working on paperwork like usually at his desk while I sat on the couch like usually; however, if Temari hadn't duped me into being here I would have been tagging along with her today like I was the last three days. Being with her tired me out, I had no time to sleep when I was with her like I did when I was in Gaara's office. It wasn't like she was the reason I was tired I just didn't sleep at night, I couldn't anymore, the pills were ineffective now so if I slept I would have nightmares. The only place I didn't have nightmares was in Gaara's office or more precisely when he was near._

 _The moment she left me and Gaara alone an unbelievable tension fell over the room. I felt nervous and avoided looking at his face because I knew he was staring at me which only made me fidget even more. I started to play with my fingers to distract myself but it wasn't really working i could feel his eyes boring holes into my skin._

 _'I'll be right back' I said in my head, mocking her voice and I fell right for it like a moron, I should have known better. Should have known better was right, with all the questions she was asking me since they revolved around me and Gaara. She probably digging for information since she must have picked up on the tension between us, well, the tension was mostly on my end since the kiss had confused me. He had made it clear he had no interest in me so perhaps he was making fun of me but the kiss stirred up some really weird emotions in me that I have never felt before. I didn't want to feel anymore, Kohan was done with me and all that was left was for me to leave and disappear. A couple more months there will be the wedding and then I would fake my death._ _It was that simple._

 _I could go back to what I was, no more interactions, no more feelings, and back to nothingness. It was painful walking down this road, I didn't want to remember anymore, I wanted to forget and be left alone once more. Alone like before in the forest before that cursed woman showed up gifting me with my name and then destroying everything I was meant to protect. She tricked me and I could still feel that fire which burned that night consuming everything. All the lives that were lost because I was careless and easily deceived by a namuh. I would never be tricked by a namuh again. Ughh my head, it was beginning to throb painfully, so much blood, so much death._

 _I wished Silver Fang was here. He was lost like me back then, homeless and without purpose but then he found something filling the gap from when we had lost everything. He found something creating strange feelings in him from what I understood from back then. They seem to be like my own now..._

 _"Come here" he commanded breaking me from my thought. I stopped fidgeting and glanced up at him when he said this, my head was still throbbing. When I looked at him I saw that he had propped his head up with one hand while his other hand motioned me to come to him like a dog. It angered me, I was no mongrel and I was no pet._

 _"I am not a dog" I snarled._

 _"I never thought that dogs listen better" he replied still beckoning me to come to him. His words infuriated me and I was about to make a malicious retort but he cut me off._

 _"Do you want me to come to you?" he asked and I knew then I had little choice but to comply. My options were going to him or for him come to me and if he came to me, I think it would be far worse then going to him. If only I could escape but my chakra was unstable or nonexistent when I was with him, which bothered me because I couldn't figure out the reason why. I thought it was the poison which caused it but it wasn't. My chakra issue would only be a problem when I left because he couldn't be near me when I faked my death otherwise my plan will fall through which would only cause problems for Kohan._

 _I ground my teeth together and stood up and walked to him, I felt like a dog going to its master but I would never have another master again. I had free will she taught me that. My head hurt so much as I stood in front of him, I just wanted to lie down and sleep. Why wouldn't he let me be, why wouldn't anyone let me be?_

 _"Well?" I snapped at him, I just wanted the pain to go away and instead, of responding to me he pushed his chair out and turned it towards me. What was he doing?_

 _"Sit here," he said patting his lap._

 _'What' I thought, he must be joking._

 _"I am not going -" I started to say before I was pulled into his lap._

 _"Stubborn" he sighed while wrapping one arm around my waist while he rested his chin in the junction of my neck. He exhaled deeply his breath tickling my ear causing me to shiver. The pain in my head was slowly disappearing, but why?_

 _"What are you doing?" I said struggling to pry his arm off, I didn't understand him or anyone else. "Stop making fun of me. Anyway, Temari going to be right back so let go!" I screeched tugging at his arm that was wrapped around my waist. Namuhs always confused me, they say one thing and do another._

 _"You think I am making fun of you? he asked his free hand slowly snaking under my shirt. His fingers barely touching me danced across my skin making my stomach flutter. The pain in my head was now gone, did he know I was in pain and healed it. No, it wasn't possible, I was sure he didn't know I was in pain and I was sure he had no talent in medical jutsu._

 _"Isn't that what this is and the ki... kiss?" I stuttered, his fingers slowly traveled from caressing my sides to my stomach._

 _"I wasn't making fun of you" he sighed and he was about to speak again until his fingers brushed against my belly button ring. I felt him trace the outline of the ring, almost curiously as if he was unsure what the object was._

 _"What's this?" he asked whispering in my ear his finger tugging playfully at my belly button ring._

 _"A belly buttooon...ri..ng ring," I whimpered pitifully, my stomach now doing somersaults. Konah had given it to me._

 _"Mhhh, interesting," he said nipping my ear while his tongue darted out and skirted the shell of my ear. The feeling from last time was returning and it was even worse, I could feel that weird sound winding up my throat again._

 _"Ahhh" I moaned the noise finally spilling forth from my mouth. My reasoning and logic were slipping as my mind clouded over with these strange feeling he always aroused in me and my body. Of course, my body began to submit to his touches once more. I had to break free from this justu he used on me before it was to late and I yielded to him once again._

 _"Will you cut it out, I'm so sick of you and what you make me feel!" I snarled and pushed weakly at his arm attempting to remove it._

 _"Sick of me, well I can't have that can I?" he said while using the same arm and hand that was wrapped around my waist to turn my head towards his face. It was hard concentrating on his words, his fingers no longer playing with my belly ring lingered lower till they skimmed the edge of my pants."And what do I make you feel?" he asked his face inches from mine._

 _I tried to pull away but he had a firm grip on me and then he repeated his question, "What do I make you feel, **Keiko**?" _

_Even if I wanted to I couldn't look away, he held my face in place so I had to look him in the eyes which were staring so intently at my own eyes, he had such pretty eyes. I stared stupidly at him looking at how pretty his eyes were and also lost on how to describe these feelings I had and when I didn't answer him his fingers dipped past the waistband of my pants causing me to panic._

 _"Stop! What are you doing?" I gasped. I was confused, he hated me so why would he do this or was he doing this because he thought he was stuck with me and it was some sort of revenge? I was just so confused and my body was just accepting it refusing to listen to me once again. Unable to stop him I felt his fingers travel even lower and begin stroking me down there causing me to flinch from the sensation. No one had ever touched me there before._

 _"What are you doing?" I repeated but this time in the form of a whimper and moan, his fingers never ceasing their movement, their ministrations. I wanted to turn my head away but he wouldn't let me. I felt my eyes tearing up, his touches shouldn't feel good... they should feel bad. Namuhs always brought me pain either of the heart or body._

 _"Ahhh" I moaned loudly unable to hold back the strange sounds any longer. His fingers were rubbing a spot causing my body to heat up, stirring up another strange emotion within me. This new emotion that he stirred within me was a needy feeling, a feeling in which I wanted something but I didn't know what it was yet. He was driving me insane because I wanted to quench this need but I had yet grasped what I needed to do to quench it._ _I gripped his shirt in pure frustration my nails clawing through the fabric scratching his skin. All I knew I hated him so much but it was a different type of hate. I didn't understand these feelings at all._

 _His fingers kept rubbing me,"You're so wet," he groaned, his eyes never wavering from mine from what I could see through my tears. If he wanted revenge why did he look so desperate and what was he desperate for?_

 _Without any warning, he slid one finger inside of me with a single thrust. I squeaked rather embarrassingly but this whole thing was embarrassing. I was a mess, strange and unintelligible noises and sounds kept bubbling up my throat, "Ewhhh..nahhh...aahhh". Something was building up in me and all I knew at that moment was that I needed more of him and I needed him deeper in me._ _I pushed my hips forward trying to push him deeper within me but was unable to, leading me to whine in frustration._

 _After hearing my desperate cry he instantly added another finger. This was a strange way to torture someone but I had very little room for thoughts as his fingers began to move again but this time faster._ _His fingers soon brushed up against something within me causing me to moan most wantonly, "Ahhh, ...More...Ahhh"._

 _"More?" He asked his fingers going still within me. Why did the bastard stop?_

 _I ignored him and tried to continue on my own. I tried desperately between grinding and rocking myself on his fingers but I was unable to create that same friction which only caused me to grow frustrated and annoyed. He seemed to be pleased by my frustration but it was too hard to tell since my tears blurred my vision. But I finally gave in hurting my pride, "Gaara, please..." I hiccupped while tears streamed down my face, I just hoped he would continue and not stop._

 _"Call my name some more and I'll continue," he demanded flexing his fingers within me, hitting that spot again._

 _"Gaara" I moaned for him still trying to ride his fingers trying to persuade him to continue. I yearned to quench that need and upon my moaning his name he quickly picked up where he left off plunging his fingers deeper and harder within me, hitting that spot over and over again. I didn't stop calling his name either afraid he would leave me with this terrible throbbing feeling with no way to soothe it. I didn't understand why he wanted me to call his name but as long as he didn't stop._

 _"Gaaraaaaa...ahhhh.. uawwwhh," I moaned. The strange noises continued to emit from my mouth along with his name every time his fingers moved in me. Their movement ignited a tingling sensation that pulsated through me every time they plunged back into me still bumping against that same spot. That tingling sensation eventually morphed into an unbearable itch and the itch was not unpleasant but very pleasurable feeling as long as he didn't stop._

 _How I wished I didn't need him to get rid of that unbearable itch and I was also sure he knew I needed him to that's why he seemed so pleased when I couldn't earlier... however the itch only seemed to grow._

 _"Ga...aara ... I feeeel reaaally str..nge" I moaned saliva dripping down my chin covering his hand which still held my face in place. I was so gross right now but it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest._

 _He rotated his fingers in a circular motion which only added to that strange pressure which had built up in the bottom of my gut from that terribly itchy feeling. Then something gave way and it felt like time itself had stopped my body spasming. Then blinding pleasure enveloped my entire being, my body clenched around his fingers, my legs automatically closing from the intense feeling. I felt like I was floating._

 _"Gaa...rrra" I gasped my body trying to inhale much-needed oxygen. The feeling had stolen my breath as well as my strength, my hands which were previously gripping his shirt fell to my sides. My body tingled all over and that awful itchy feeling had left me and I I felt oddly satisfied and content. I shouldn't feel content and I loathed myself for it, how could I let him do this to me. I sat there in his lap panting and also feeling completely humiliated, how did I let a_ namuh _embarrass me like this and why him._

 _Then he slipped his fingers from me, "ahhhnn" I moaned my body shaking from the action. Everything was so sensitive down there and how could I forget that his fingers were still within me._

 _My body was still trembling, something wet and sticky leaked from me when he removed his fingers the substance coating the skin on my thighs. My breath was still shaky too and I watched as h_ _e brought the hand which fingers were just in me to his face his tongue swiping away white fluid that clung to them. I was tired and must be seeing things since that was dirty, right?_

 _"That's dirty," I mumbled what I was thinking. Ignoring me as he licked his fingers clean, his eyes never wavering from my face. He confused me but I felt tired and I just wanted to sleep._

 _After he lapped his fingers clean he brought his face closer to mine, he was probably going to kiss me again. I didn't want him kissing me not when I felt like this, angry, confused, content, and happy. It was a strange mix of emotions but I couldn't escape his hold so I closed my eyes and accepted the inevitable._ _But he didn't do what I thought he was going to do._ _I opened my eyes, surprised by his action, he had kissed my cheek._

 _"Sleep" he commanded. I didn't understand him at all, his idea of revenge is twisted. I closed my eyes, I was just so tired._

 _"Next time when you are tired come here to sleep," he whispered and those were the last words I heard before a blanket of darkness engulfed me._

 _End of Flashback_

Every time I was near him he would reach to touch me. A pat on the head every time he learns I behaved which meant I stayed within eyesight of either Kankuro or Temari. When I had to go out in public with him his hand would automatically wrap around my waist pulling me to his side. At dinner, his hands would end up on my thigh in which I would try to push it away without causing a scene.

I was confused by his actions and had to look into it more. I found something in a book that described a similar thing in which he did to me in his office. The book described something called love and desire. Although I never been in love I knew he definitely didn't love me and he definitely didn't desire me as I glanced up at my reflection in the store's window. There was nothing desirable about me, not like how the men desired that beautiful female in the book. I did not have any of the traits that a desirable woman had as I stared at my reflection.

So what was his reason for touching me?...

"Keiko!" Temari yelled causing me to look in her direction and also pulling me from my thoughts. She was running towards me with a bunch of shopping bags. I put the book down on the table before she reached me.

"I thought I lost you!" she said shouted in the distance. "Gaara would have been so mad at me," she said panting when she got up next to me.

"I'm not a child," I said annoyed. Why did he care what I did, he said he didn't care what I did as long as it didn't affect him. Namuhs are strange creatures.

"We know that but you're still new here and your injuries just healed," she said while peering over at the books I was just looking at.

"You like to read, Keiko?" she asked.

"No..." I responded putting my hands out offering to take some of her bags. I couldn't remember if I liked to read so I couldn't answer yes.

"No no no, you may have just healed but I'm not getting in trouble with Gaara if you over exert yourself." She told me.

"But" I began to say.

"No" she cut me off.

"Anyway, we got to go find a present for Gaara's birthday. Do you know what you are giving him?" she asked starting to walk away from the bookstore.

"No..." I said. I was still thinking about that book, Icha icha Paradaisu. I wanted to read the second book, the story was actually good. It explained a lot of things I didn't know about and maybe it would provide me an answer about what Gaara was thinking because my current belief was he wanted revenge on me; however, there may be more to it than what I original thought. Or even if that book failed to give me an answer then maybe another book would.

"Keiko, are you okay?" Temari asked.

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"You just sighed out loud." she said.

'Did I? It must be the lack of sleep again' I thought to myself.

"I just don't know what to get your brother that's all," I said lying.

"No, worries we will pick out the perfect gift for him," she said cheerfully. The perfect gift, I didn't even know him but even without knowing him I never bought a gift for anyone before.

'A birthday party huh?' I thought to myself, the definition of birthday in the book said a birthday is the anniversary of the day on which a person was born, typically treated as an occasion for celebration and the giving of gifts.

* * *

Third Person's POV

Gaara was working on his paperwork until an irritable sigh escaped his lips. He put the pen down on the desk deciding to give himself a short break from work, he was extremely annoyed Keiko was avoiding him again. He looked over at the couch she always sat or slept on, he missed her presence. He would have never have taken a break from work but he couldn't concentrate on it at all. Another sigh escaped him as he stared at the couch.

Shukaku had become restless to since she been absent, the demon wanted him to drag her back here so she could be by their side. He also had to listen to all the things Shukaku wanted him to do to her, and two days ago he almost gave in to the temptation and took her. She was so ready for him moaning wantonly begging for more but he had to take it slowly until she came looking for him. He had to wait patiently but how long could he wait for her.

A slight knock at the door before Kankuro came in probably to report something to him. He started to talk again about the Chunin exams again.

"Gaara what do you think?" he asked.

"Your advice worked but now she avoiding me," Gaara said before he got up. "I have somewhere to be so if you can excuse me," he said before walking past Kankuro.

"Wait. What?" Kankuro said confused. "Were you even listening to me?" he asked turning around but Gaara never answered him before walking out of the office. Kankuro thought for a moment registering his brother's words.

"Gaara you can't tell me that and walk out. I need to know what I told you which really work," he yelled still in the office.


	11. Presents 2

Keiko's POV

I couldn't find a present for Gaara that day with Temari because a gift or present needs to come from the heart as Temari described. A gift from the heart I pondered but I didn't even know what he likes and I hated him so finding a present would be hard. I only had a day left to find him a present so I needed to find what he liked.

"Ugghh I don't know what to get Gaara. Have you picked up a present for Gaara yet?" Kankuro asked me.

"No," I said watching Kankuro rub his head in a frustrated manner. We sat at the kitchen table, me still picking at the food on my plate. Kankuro had long finished his meal. I ate almost all of it knowing full well if I didn't Gaara would come and shove food in my mouth again. I really hated food but I hated being force-fed more especially by him. He got almost a sick pleasure out of it. I didn't even know why he cared if I ate or not, it's not like I would die from not eating. Because that would be to simply and easy of a death for a monster like me.

"I don't know what to get him. Almost ever year I got him a cactus but last year I brought him out... well, that didn't go as planned" he said zoning out most likely recalling the event.

"Only my brother would go to a place like that and end up befriending the girls" he mumbled. "Paid good money on it too, I don't understand it. Trying to give him a hand, give him experience before the council made him get married, " he grumbled again.

I didn't really understand what Kankuro was talking about but I guess he was just as lost as me trying to find a present for Gaara. It sounded like Gaara was difficult to find a present for since even Temari had trouble. She ended up buying him clothes the same thing she bought him last year. If I think about it I always see him in his Kazekage outfit or ninja garb and never civilian clothes. Kankuro always bought him cacti apparently but he changed it up last year bringing him somewhere where there were girls and he befriended them instead of doing something else.

'How odd' I thought to myself but then I remembered that book I read when I was out with Temari. I felt odd asking her to buy it for me so I decided not to ask but if I could get Kankuro to buy it for Gaara then I would be able to read it. I usually had plenty of money but I haven't gone on any missions and before coming here they took all my earnings away. I didn't think Gaara cared about what others got him, because when I glanced through an old album I noticed he seemed pleased with his gifts even if they weren't something he liked or would use. He liked them because they came from his siblings so I think he would be happy to receive anything so I set my plan in motion.

"Well, Kankuro I don't know if this helps but I did see Gaara reading a book. Let's see what was it called again." I said pretending to be recalling what Gaara was reading.

"I think it was called... um ichh ichha um no that wasn't right. Let's see... I know Icha Icha Paradaisu." I said clapping my hands together and I knew from his face he had fallen for it

"Really?" he asked sounding astonished.

"Yup," I said. "Why is there something wrong with the book?" I asked because he sounded surprised by his brother reading the book but I saw plenty of men reading the book in the store. I also read it and found nothing strange about its content, it held a lot of interesting data.

"Ummm no nothing is wrong, just surprised by the fact he would be reading a... a classic," he responded sounding somewhat relieved. "Anyway, thanks for the information. It's a real boring book nothing that will interest you, well I'm heading off to bed. When you are finished with your dinner put the dish in the sink and don't worry about cleaning it. Well, see you tomorrow."

"Okay, good night," I said smiling to myself while watching Kankuro climb the stairs heading to his bedroom, I was sure he would be buying the next book in the series as a gift for Gaara. I could also distinctly hear him muttering to himself happily. He probably thought I couldn't hear him.

"I knew it deep down that he had such interests, all my hard work must have paid off. He was just too shy to talk about it to his big brother."

After I heard Kankuro retire for the night I sat at the coffee table mulling over what to get him. Kankuro mentioned cacti and he seemed to care deeply for the plants so I could give him a plant. But what kind of plant to get him was the question... well I had all night to think about it. I got up knowing I no longer had to eat what was left on the plate and dumped the leftovers in the trash.

I placed the plate in the sink and began cleaning the dishes from supper, I know Kankuro told me not to but the nights were long and tedious. I looked out the window over the sink peering into the inky darkness if I was still back at the Kinjo Clan then I would no doubt be on the road on another mission, sleeping outside without any warmth or companionship. I sighed, I was beginning to get used to this lifestyle. I was beginning to see Kankuro and Temari as something like friends or siblings it made me feel warm that they so earnestly accepted me but all good things come to an end I knew that better than anyone.

The night dragged on and I listened to the sound of the clock tick, I had finished the dishes and put them away and now had nothing to do. I watched the clock's hands move and every time they moved the clock made an annoying ticking sound. I wanted to destroy the clock but I knew better. I was just tired, wanted to sleep but I didn't want to be touched again. He stirred up weird emotions in me in which I was currently trying to will away. Emotions will only hinder me, in the past, they hindered me and they would continue to do so if I let myself feel again. But I also I couldn't go back to being that thing again, a monster that didn't feel anything but rage.

Ughh my head was starting to hurt. I looked at the clock one more time, it read 2:15 a.m maybe Gaara wouldn't be in his office. I always thought he might be sleeping at the Kazekage tower but he might be at his lover's place because he never came home to sleep. It was a marriage without love and it would be normal to see someone else because some of the books in the bookstore described such things but it didn't explain what he did to me.

I slide my chair back and began to stand, the throbbing in my head was only getting worse. I would take a quick shower and head over to the tower to sleep, hopefully, Gaara would be out perhaps at his lover's place. As I walked to and up the stairs, my feet felt heavy, I really just wanted to sleep but I was afraid the nightmares would plague my sleep if I let myself drift off here.

I still didn't own any clothes of my own and continued borrowing from Temari but I didn't want to wake her up asking her for clothes. I could just wear Gaara's clothes, I have before and he didn't say anything. I climbed into the shower after picking out a black long sleeve shirt of his, I'm sure Temari had picked it out for him as a gift.I'm even more sure he never he even wore it.

I turned on the shower, the sound of the water winding up the pipes scared me causing me to jump back. I should be used to the noises in the house but still the sound scared me, I rationalized it as lack of sleep but I knew deep down I was frightened of water. I wasn't just frightened by the water I despised it more than anything but I couldn't remember why I hated it so much. I just remember choking on water, struggling against the currents wanting to live, survive its wrath and fury. So much water... so much death... it hurt so bad...

I climbed into the shower clutching my head with one hand. The water streamed down onto me filling me with a false sense of warmth which soothed me. The water I remembered was cold and painful. I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner that wasn't mine but I assumed was okay to use, they were Gaara's but he never said anything to me. A nagging thought persisted in my head along with the throbbing pain.

 _'You don't belong here playing house with_ namuhs. You are monster, if only they knew your sins, they would hate you too. _'_

I placed my hands on the wall in front of me allowing the water pour down onto me rinsing away the last of the conditioner, the same thoughts repeating over and over again. I knew my sins were great but I wasn't playing house with anyone because I wanted to.

'Do not lie to yourself you crave this, but remember you don't belong here. You think they'll forgive you, love you, be friends with you if they knew what type of monster you truly are... They would be so quick to hate you.'

No more, I wanted to sleep. Sleep was the only time I could rest but even then the darkness threatened my only fragment of peace. I turned the shower off, grabbing the towel from the rack. I dried myself quickly, pulling the shirt over my head my wet hair getting in my way. I should probably dry my hair but my headache was bothering me. I dropped the towel in the hamper and headed for the door skipping the mirror. I didn't want to look, I was afraid of what I would see.

I was afraid of the monster which would surely be looking back...

I hurried down the stairs and out the front door, I was greeted by the darkness no stars, no moon to illuminate my way. But then I saw the flicker of fire from a torch in the distance and the dream I had came rushing back to me. Men were shouting, chasing me, wanting to hurt and kill me and I started to run, I knew nothing was chasing me but I couldn't stop myself from panicking and fleeing.

I made it to the tower hurrying inside slamming the door behind me. It was the past I was recalling, I was running from it but for how long can I run from memories which fought so furiously to be remembered. My body shook, my breathing was shallow and fast, my head throbbed painfully. I walked up the ascending stairs with shaky limbs, the men's shouting gone and replaced with my own breathing and echoes of my footsteps.

I entered the office my eyes searched for him but he wasn't here. He was probably at his lover's place, I wondered why he didn't marry her but then again this marriage was more like a business deal if anything. I was happy and also upset he wasn't there, I really didn't understand myself anymore. I wasn't me, not anymore. I walked over to the couch falling onto it. I inhaled much-needed air as I laid face down on the couch, I could smell him. His scent soothed me and rid me of these dark feelings I had, his scent was so familiar but I was sure why it was so familiar.

I continued to breathe in his scent and drifted off to sleep, all the while hoping I could leave before anyone discovered my sins and realized that they allowed a monster to sleep in their home. Tears slide down my face, I was no longer able to hide the sadness, loneliness, and the bitterness of everything I was forced to carry as long as I breathed.

'Always a monster in their eyes, my dear Keiko, always a beast' a man's voice echoed in my head, laughing at my pain.

* * *

Gaara's POV

I ascended the stairs of the tower, tired and aggravated. Three ninjas followed behind me, they remained silent and I wondered why even their faces seemed grim perhaps I missed something or they were simply exhausted from their mission. I should have been more aware of such things but the tenuki wouldn't leave me alone, he had been pestering me non-stop for a week.

 **'You need sleep boy, take a nice long rest and leave everything to me.'** the demon said insisting that I rest. He was once again restless since Keiko been absent and by saying leave everything to him meant he would deal with Keiko, punishing her for straying from our side for so long. The images he conjured up for me to see were of things he intended to do to her as punishment. The images should have been unsettling but they weren't, I craved it as much as the demon but I had to be patient that's what Baki had said to do.

I ignored the demon and pushed open the door to my office, the ninjas behind me were following suit but they suddenly halted in their tracks. I turned around to see what the problem was.

"Lord Gaara things have popped up... we can finish this up at a later time if you could excuse us." spoke the team leader, he had a sheepish look. His face was turning red, was he sick? The two ninjas behind him faces were also turning red, were they also sick?

"Are you not feeling well?" I asked out of concern.

"Ummm... no just tired but things popp..popped up so if... if... you can excusssse us Lord Gaara" the team leader spoke, stumbling on his words. He wasn't usually like this, his face was even a brighter red now. One of the men behind him kept glancing to his left.

"You are excused then, we will finish this at a later time," I uttered confused by his strangeness as well as the strangeness of his teammates.

"ThankyouLordGaara," he said talking way too fast, which was out of character for him too. He meshed all his words together forming one big long word. He then hurried out the door pushing the teammate whose eyes kept glancing to the left. My eyes slowly traveled to where his teammate's eyes kept straying too and my eyes landing on her.

Like last time her ass was completely bare; however, this time, my shirt had completely ridden up to the small of her back. She laid on her stomach sound of asleep, completely unaware of the suggestive position she was in. My eyes went back to her uncovered ass and what I saw displeased me. She was wearing no panties...was she even wearing a bra? That wasn't even the point whether or not she was wearing undergarments, was she trying to intentionally tease me because Kankuro had mentioned women occasionally partake in such behavior to catch the attention of a man or men. So was she trying to attract my attention or the attention of another man?

 **'Those men saw what was ours, boy. And what if she seeks the attention of such suitors? She isn't truly ours so will you sit back and watch as they sniff around'** Shukaku growled interrupting my thoughts.

'No' I responded a bitter feeling winding through me. 'She said we would be a family even though she has forgotten but I won't let her break that promise'.

 **'Then what will you do then, boy?'** Shukaku asked his voice crackling in delight.

'Watch sand beast' I snarled. I wasn't annoyed at Shukaku any longer, my anger and annoyance were now directed at her. I was extremely angry at her for displaying herself like this to other men when she was yet mine. I was also annoyed that she had been avoiding me for the past week. I moved to where she laid utterly susceptible to any danger, my hand automatically reaching for her making sure what my eyes saw was actually real.

My finger grazed her skin beginning at her naked feet. She shivered instantly when I touched her skin but she did not wake. Her skin was cool to the touch almost frigid, I noticed when I touched her she was always unnaturally cold which bothered me. But she may be cold from bathing since her appearance suggested it, her hair was still damp.

Acting like a child wandering around with wet hair, had no one taught her any better?

A sigh escaped me, I was slowly losing the anger I had towards her, after all, I did tell her to come here if she was tired which she did do. My finger was no longer touching her skin but now my whole hand. It rested on her butt, I still had to punish her for showing to much skin to other men. She had to learn or they needed to know that she belonged solely to me.

My hand slid back down her leg to her calf before I sat down beside her, the skin contact with her eased any prior stress I had but I was still annoyed at her. Also, I noticed the gained weight felt good to my hands, she wasn't as bony as she was before. I was pleased she had gained weight; however, she needed to gain more weight but I wasn't going to complain about the progress she had made. I slowly lifted one of her legs up flipping her onto her back. I did not want to look at the scars on her back because they bothered me but also fascinated me, she was by no means weak as she proved in the arena that day. Whoever marred her skin, she allowed them to, I wanted to know who but she refused to tell me so I stopped asking her questions hoping she would confide in me. Hopefully, following Baki's advice will help me discover things with this mysterious creature.

Even after flipping her into her back she still did not wake, she must be in a deep slumber. Ninjas are trained to wake at the slightest changes in their environment but she seemed to lack that basic ninja skill. Well, I didn't mind at all since she would never be leaving my side I thought as I brought her suspended leg to my mouth, kissing the inside of her leg. She would never go out on another mission as long as I lived.

With her on her back, she was splayed out wonderfully in front of me as I kissed her inner thigh. The kiss to her thigh quickly lost its gentleness when I bit down on her skin. She whimpered and I stopped expecting her to open her eyes but she never did. I continued biting down breaking the skin before lapping at it kindly with my tongue. I pulled my head back inspecting it and I discovered I was pleased with the mark I left upon her and decided I wanted to give her more.

I dipped my head back down, trailing kisses up her leg nipping her here and there listening to her moan in her sleep. I watched her face as I bit and kissed her. Her brows drew together as she fought the pleasure in her sleep and before I continued leaving more of my marks on her skin I lifted her other leg over my head and rested it on my lap. I then trailed kisses and bite marks on her other leg inhaling her sweet scent and listening to her whimpers and moans. The sounds that spilled from her mouth while I kissed and nipped her soft skin were arousing me.

I tried to keep my arousal at bay but it was hard to since she lacked panties...and she was also very wet... I was just touching her for only a bit and her body was so eagerly responding to me.

My eyes lingered on her sex and I wondered how she would taste?... And found myself leaning forward my hands pushing her legs further apart, all arguments as why I shouldn't be doing this being pushed to the side. It didn't help that the sand demon fought at its cage seeking release. I leaned closer and kissed her sex, tasting her, my tongue delving in between her folds and my action finally quieted the sand beast.

I groaned into her sex all the while willing myself to stop and that I shouldn't continue, it was wrong to do such a thing when she had yet accepted me and also while she slept. However, any logical reasoning that I had left, had disappeared when a sweet moan containing my name drifted from her pouty lips.

"Gaaraaaaa"

A taste wouldn't hurt, she was mine after all and no one else's. I dipped my tongue passed her folds again lapping away the fluid that had begun to leak past her opening.

Her moans were getting louder and her body was quivering nonstop and I knew she was close. Just a bit more and she would come but I didn't want to let her body have that satisfaction not until she begged me for that release. It was cruel but it was a punishment but I think I was being punished far worse than her as my pants felt extremely tight. Although she called my name I wasn't about to forgive her, she needed to beg me and then I would give her what her body desperately craves although I knew her mind would deny it.

I pulled back and she whined most miserably when I left her body aching with need. I hovered above her my hands pushing the shirt above her chest giving me a full view of her breasts. They were not large but they weren't too small either, my hands giving each breast a firm squeeze, the perfect size to the touch. Her dusky nipples rigid and hard yearning to be touched.

I flicked it and she squeaked in her sleep. Maybe the underside of her breast could use a hickey to and I bent my head down biting and sucking the skin beneath her left breast while my hand tormented her other breast. I could feel the rapid beat of her heart as I left my mark on her skin. It was a soothing sound such a strong and fierce heartbeat.

 **'Claim her boy'** Shukaku murmured in my head. I wanted to do exactly what Shukaku was saying but I had to resist and I bit down harshly in the valley of her breasts. I wanted her so bad, my pants had become painfully tight on me now...

I traveled up from her breasts to her neck, the last place I would leave my mark and again I bit into her delicate flesh sucking and licking it. It would be highly noticeable the mark would be. A mark saying she was mine but I wanted something more then shallows wounds that would eventually heal. I wanted to bind her to me, I always wanted her near me. It was dangerous thinking but I couldn't help it, she was mine and only mine.

I pushed myself up after thoroughly making a mess out of her neck and looked at her face. She was panting hard, her face tinted red, and tears were gathering in the corners of her closed eyes. I kept staring at her admiring her beauty wondering how such a lovely creature came to be mine. I decided how easily I could be trapped by her, how easily I could forget my past, how easily I could see a future with her with our children, how easily I could neglect my duties for her, how easily I could ...

Wait... I had an appointment with the council at 5 am and looked at the clock. It was now 5:01 am. I quickly got up pulling her shirt back down and threw my red coat over her masking her from the eyes of others. I quickly grabbed the required documents from my desk. Before I left I kissed her lips.

"I'll have my revenge," I said pulling away from her lips, feeling highly uncomfortable in my skin and willing away the problem in my pants.

The marks on her skin would scare off any pests that got too close, but they would heal and I would have to stake my claim again. They would begin to disappear in a week and would be most likely be gone the next week. Well, when the time came I would replace them.

* * *

Keiko's POV

I looked around me, I knew this place; it was my home. The trees' leaves blew with the wind's breeze and the sound of the leaves' sounded like wind chimes. The sound echoed through the crystal forest, my home. The sound reminded me what a peaceful place, my home was. These trees were crystal trees as the namuhs called them because the trees had the appearance of crystal.

"How could they destroy such a place" I whispered to myself as I watched the creatures of the forest. Sure the creatures that lived here were odd in the namuhs' eyes but they were gentle, they were not monsters like the nahums thought. Then something caught my eyes distracting me from my thoughts, it was a white moth; it didn't belong here it belonged in the namuhs' lands.

I watched as the white moth flapped its delicate wings, it was hypnotizing and my home quickly started to change with each flap of its wings warping my home into a wasteland. Small fires burned everywhere and smoke rose up from the burnt land. My home was destroyed in a blink of an eye but its just...

"A memory" I whispered.

"From a time from long ago in a land far from where you are now" a man spoke from behind. It should have alarmed me but it didn't I turned and faced him.

The white moth fluttered over and landed on his hand, his fingers curled around it trapping it in his palm, it lazily flapped it wings while perched in his hand not carrying that it was caught.

"Who are you?" I asked. He looked so familiar but I couldn't remember if we had met before. Surely I would have remembered such an unnerving and creepy being. His eyes were closed and his smile was wide which reminded me of a fox. His hair was pitch black, unruly, falling just above his ears. He wore a flashy red and white yukata with blooming flowers sprawled across it matching his creepy and unnerving demeanor. But I was not afraid of him, the only emotions I felt when I stared at him was sadness.

"Have you forgotten me silly Keiko dear" he sassed waving a fan he pulled out of his yukata. "Maybe this will help since your memories are all jumbled up in that pretty lil head of yours' he said and with a wave of his fan changed from a man to a young boy.

"I know you... but from where" I whispered at the stared at the boy. My hand automatically reached for my head as the throbbing pain returned in tenfold. The kid started giggling which only made the pain worse in my head.

"Stop laughing" I roared but the boy didn't stop laughing, and my vision started to blur as the pain worsened. Then everything was spinning and I closed my eyes as I began to feel sick to my stomach.

"Keiko! Keiko! Don't you want to know why you call humans namuhs?" the boy said in his high pitched voiced. "I can tell you but you know the answer yourself, don't you," the boy said still laughing at me. I tried to stagger away but it was no use, I felt weak and ready to collapse right there.

"Don't fight it," the boy whispered in my ear behind me, he was no longer laughing.

"No" I choked out my throat suddenly dry. I didn't want to remember, ignorance is bliss. But he wouldn't allow me to have bliss, no because I didn't deserve it for I destroyed everything for him and the others.

I felt his hands on my back and he pushed and then I was falling. I felt the air rushing through my hair and clothes as I fell and I should have hit the ground immediately but I kept falling. I opened my eyes and I was no longer falling but on my feet. My headache was gone and so was the boy. I was back in my forest, my home but the only difference was a glass mirror without any frames laid upon the ground. I remembered it, it was what lead me to ruin everything I was given.

I walked over to the mirror and stared down at it but my reflection was not what I saw but the reflection of small children and a woman. What I saw made me laugh hysterically, how could I fall so low for these creatures who lead me to destroy everything I was given. I used to be so fascinated by these unusual small creatures not once thinking about what evils they could commit. I used to fall asleep in front of the mirror, watching and listening to the small creatures in the glass. They were unlike anything I had seen before, they fascinated me and I would always watch them, learning from them.

I tired of laughing and wiped the tears that gathered in the corner of my eyes and that's when I heard the voices belonging to the creatures in mirror.

"What sound does this letter make?" she said in a soft voice.

"ahhhhh," one child said.

"Very good," the woman said.

I knew now, no remembered why I called humans namuhs because everything I saw in the mirror was reflected backwards and the name just stayed with me since I considered these creatures as strange and backwards.

"Do you remember now?" a man asked from behind me.

"No" I responded. "I remember bits and pieces everything is so clear sometimes but most of the time it is foggy," I said quietly watching the woman and children in the glass.

"Do you hate me?" I asked because I had to know even though I already knew the answer. I turned and looked at him.

"Hate is a strong word Keiko dear. Of course, I can't easily forget you destroyed our home, killed innocents.. most of them were humans so it wasn't that much of a loss, your marrying a human yatta, yatta, yatta but that besides the point my sweet dear. I had a hard time finding you, really difficult time so I hope you remember this when you wake sweet Keiko because I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear so you need to..." he said but he never finished as a loud cracking noise resonated through the forest.

I looked behind me and a large crack had appeared on the mirror and the image had changed and what was reflected in the cracked mirror was now me sleeping on the couch and someone sitting next to me. I watched in horror as his hand traveled up my leg in the mirror and the worst part I felt what I saw. I shivered, I didn't want to feel what I was witnessing.

I turned and looking behind me in panic fearing that man was watching the scene unfold in the mirror but he was gone when I turned my head. Then I felt something bite my leg causing me to whimper. It hurt but something else was stirring within me and I turned back to the mirror and I was horrified by what I saw. There he was doing as he please, his tongue lapped and swirled over the places he bit and nip my skin. I couldn't help but whimper and moan eventually my legs gave way.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing let alone what I was feeling. I just wanted to wake up but no matter how much I tried to will myself to wake I couldn't. Then all my thoughts stilled, he wouldn't...

I felt him there, his hot breath at my sex, then there was his tongue... I gasped. I could feel his tongue delve past my opening, it was such an odd sensation and I couldn't help but moan with each thrust and twist of his tongue allowing myself to be caught up in the same feeling and sensation as last time. But the worse part I had to watch it happen in the mirror unable to stop it only to feel the sensations I was witnessing.

I hated him so much for doing this to me but I wasn't allowed to focus on my hatred for him for long as his tongue kept diving in and out causing that awful feeling to build quickly. My whole body was on fire and there was not a single thing I could do but submit to the feeling, my body shivering and trembling under his ministrations. The heat was pooling in my gut and I ached terribly for that release, the satisfaction that made me forget everything.

"Gaara" I moaned allowing his name to spill from my lips.

The feeling was overriding everything that was engrained in my brain as bad and wrong. He was the only one to make me feel like this and I didn't know why but I knew I wanted no needed him not to stop. I was so afraid he would stop leaving me with this awful needy feeling aching for that satisfaction only he could give me. I was so close...but then he stopped before I could, pulling away from me leaving me aching causing me to whine in desperation.

"nnnhhhhh"

I felt tears threatening to spill from my eyes and I tried my best not to cry. Why did he do that and then I felt a sharp pain on my chest... I looked at the mirror my vision blurry from the tears I refused to let fall and saw he was biting my chest. That bastard... Then he flicked my nipple causing me to squeak, my skin was so sensitive right now and his touch was sending sensations to ripple across my skin which traveled straight down to the pit of my stomach. All the while I hadn't stopped quivering. His other hand was squeezing my other breast and I can only describe as absolute torture.

He didn't stop there and continued to my neck and bit there. It was painful but his tongue lapped it causing most of the initial pain to disappear but it only caused more of the tingling sensations to resurface. After the bite to my neck he collapsed on me, holding me close and I could feel the warmth and it was rather comforting but my body still ached with need, a need he wasn't fulfilling.

But that warmth quickly left as he got up quickly and rushed away towards his desk. He started to walk past me but stopped and leaned forward brushing his lips against mine, whispering something and everything went black but before it did I read his lips and my guess was right this whole thing was just revenge. His words would stay with me even when I woke.

'I'll have my revenge"

* * *

Keiko's POV

I woke up feeling freely refreshed but still a little bit groggy. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my back and yawned quite loudly. Maybe I would go back to sleep and snuggle under the blanket some more before finally getting up…'wait what blanket?', I thought.

'Wait I didn't fall asleep with a blanket, did I?'.

I felt the material with one hand and realized it wasn't a blanket. 'But what is it', I thought. I lazily opened one eye to investigate and saw what covered me was Gaara's red coat.

'Ehh? Why would he do that' I asked myself but my thoughts questioning it ended abruptly when the haze of sleep started to dissipate. Flashbacks of what occurred in my dream started to fill my head and I couldn't get the images to leave my head. I began to recall the feel of his tongue on my skin, his teeth nipping and biting my flesh, and the heat from his body. Remembering the sensations caused my body to become weird. I became hot, very hot but it wasn't because it was hot out today.

Then there was that other thing I had to think about. He wanted revenge for being stuck with me but the heat pooling in my gut made me push the thought to the very back of my mind. I felt my face flush red and I quickly glanced around the room. I hope he wasn't paying attention to me because I felt really weird and I didn't want him seeing my face beet red. I didn't feel right and I didn't want him to know so when I noticed he wasn't in his office I felt so relieved. But where was he?' I thought.

However, I quickly discarded that thought to as a wave of heat pulsed through me. I wanted to cool down and when I felt the cold breeze blow across my aching body it provided me an idea. I tossed his coat to the side and got up.

The shirt was bunched up around my waist and I tug it down and I realized how big his shirt really was on me. The shirt fell just above my knees but I picked one of his shirts to wear because I didn't have my own clothes and I didn't want to wake Temari up at a weird hour. But it made me realize how much bigger he was compared to me and the thought made me recall the sensation of his body pressed up against mine and how small and helpless I felt in his embrace. The memory brought another wave of heat to crash through me making me whimper involuntary. I moved quickly, I needed to be outside now.

I pushed opened the door of his office and ran out. I descended the spiraling staircase of the tower hugging my stomach. I really didn't feel too good, hopefully, the cold air of the outside would make me feel better. As I descended the staircase all I could think about was the heat and what he did to me. 'Why did he touch me like that' I thought angrily. 'What was his reason? I don't understand anything especially this feeling or what he's thinking.'

When I reached the bottomed of the stairs I heard two people approaching the door to the tower and quickly hid in the supply closet. I held the door closed leaving myself a slim crack to peer out. I never used to rely on my eyes so much, it was always my ears and vibrations I saw the world through. He took away the ribbon she gave me and then I couldn't control myself I wanted to see what others did. I didn't understand the urge but I just needed to. The thought made me remember the dream and the memories I had recovered but everything was so jumbled in my head.

'Why did I need to cover my eyes in the first place' I asked myself. It wasn't the first time I asked myself this. The other time was and I look at the fading wounds on my hand as another memory fought to free itself causing me to wince in pain. My head was starting to throb painfully and before the memory could disappear out of reach I heard her voice as clear as day.

 _'You must hide them from the one who will accept even the monster you believe yourself to be until you yourself can trust this person because if you don't they will betray you'_

'ugghh, what did she mean? Why couldn't I remember?' The questions swirled in my throbbing head. The pain and the heat were also bombarding my body but all I wanted was to remember. The door to the tower swung open breaking my concentration and distracting me from the pain and the heat. Two people walked in, I couldn't see them yet but their voices drifted to where I laid hidden.

"Load Gaara, I have something I must tell you," a girl said. Her voice sounded mousy.

"Yes," a man said which I knew immediately was Gaara.

"Umm.. please hear me out … and don't think too too badly of me." She said stumbling on her words. She paused for a moment and continued when he didn't say anything. "You been my Sensei and I really appreciate it but-but…" she said.

They had just walked into my line of sight and stopped. When she didn't continue speaking, he turned and looked at her, his face was funny. His face usually didn't betray any emotion except when he was dealing with me but I had never seen his face like this before.

I looked over at the girl, I wanted to know what was so special about her and why he was making such a strange face when looking at her. I saw an average face, not beautiful nor ugly, just average. Not too tall and not too short either. Her hair reached the bottom of her chin and was a light shade of brown. Her eyes, however, were a dark shade of brown. If I had to describe her to anyone I would say the girl appeared average but maybe she had a special talent because she was shinobi of Suna since she had the village's insignia on her headband.

She was timidly teething her lip, her eyes were cast down avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks were turning a slight rosy color due to his staring. I was confused about why she was blushing and acting nervous. Did she do something wrong and what about him being her sensei, I didn't know he had students? Well, I didn't know much about him besides him being the jinchūriki, having two siblings, and being the Kazekage.

"Lord Gaara…." She said then paused, why couldn't she just say what she wanted but I didn't have to wait long. "I love you, please don't get married to that woman" she blurted out. After she blurted out her confession a silence fell over the two.

'that woman' I thought trying to figure out what woman she talking about. 'Wait…... she was talking about me. I didn't even want to get married to jerk in the first place and wow dare she call me that woman'. I thought angrily.

"I'm getting married to that woman in a few months so I can't return your feelings," he said taking a step towards her and placing his hands on her shoulder. She quickly shook his hands of her and ran out of the tower, tear welling up in her eyes as she ran away.

'Was that remorse I hear in his voice, no it couldn't be. He couldn't possibly be in love with that child could he?' I thought.

He sighed after a moment before ascending the stairs of the tower. When I heard the door to his office open and close, I quietly removed myself from my hiding spot.

'What did I just witness?' I thought. The incident had left me with a new feeling, a feeling that left a bitter taste in my mouth. I decided I couldn't dwell on the feeling any longer and hurried outside before he realized I was gone because I could distinctly remember his words from that other time, _'You are not allowed to wander around without someone with you which means Temari, Kankuro, or myself must be with you.'_ But of course he could say just about anything to me and it still didn't mean I would listen like an obedient child.

The cold breeze greeted me instantly when I stepped outside. It soothed my heated body and throbbing head allowing me to hurry along the empty streets of the village. During lunch, the streets were always empty which made it easier to navigate and by the time I found the glass building and tree I was somewhat tired. I collapsed under the tree and rested my tired eyes; however, my mind kept replaying the incident I happened upon.

'Love' I thought bitterly. "it's nothing but a nuisance" I mumbled out loud.

"What are you mumbling about, Keiko Sensei?" a familiar voice asked which startled me.


	12. Someone I Used To Know

Keiko's POV

"What are you mumbling about, Keiko Sensei?" a familiar voice asked which startled me.

I opened my eyes to see a boy standing over me. "Nothing" I replied, trying to place where I heard his voice before.

"Ohh, well if you're free... Umm, I know Lord Gaara said not to bother you because you were ... but if you could give me some pointers for the upcoming exam you don't have to do anything just sit on the sidelines that would be awesome since Gaara isn't the best teacher ya know" he said mumbling the last part. Oh, yes so he was the boy who wanted me to be his Sensei.

Wait... Gaara was teaching this boy in my place, did he not think I was not capable of being this boy's Sensei. Did he think I was weak? Who was he to decide what I am capable of?

"Boy..." I said getting up slowly brushing my shift off. "Let's go to the training grounds." And upon hearing my words his face lite up with a genuine smile which made me forget about how angry I was at Gaara. His smile made me wonder how long he would be able to keep a genuine smile like that because the life of a ninja is a long and difficult path. He was young enough where the Fourth Great Ninja War didn't seem to have to much affect on him and peace had now fallen over the lands but peace is not eternal.

Looking at him he was young, no older than 12, height wise he was short probably only an inch taller than me and I was 4 foot 9. His height was the only similarity we shared, his skin was tanned unlike my own skin. His white blonde hair was fairly long and was tied in a loose pony tail so even our hair contrasted negatively. He wore a baggy tan sweatshirt and sported a black shirt underneath. Matching the theme his pants were black and baggy. After taking a good look at him my eyes returned back to his face.

He finally opened his eyes and that's when I noticed the color they were; they were hazel They brought me back to the past, to the day I met Fuzen and it was also the day she met him. This boy's eyes look so similar to Fuzen's back then I could have sworn if I had not known any better they belonged to Fuzen. I took a longer look at his eyes and realized this kid's eyes was a shade off from Fuzen's own eyes, they were similar but not the same. They were not the same eyes that made her fall in love.

"Keiko-sensei, you have really pretty eyes, ya know. I'm glad you're not covering your eyes anymore" He said yanking me back to the present but he also tugged free a memory I rather forget.

 _'You have really pretty eyes, ya know. Glad we can finally meet face to face.' a female voice said._

 _'What do you want Hairball' I snarled menacingly at the thing in front of me. Even my snarl and flash of teeth didn't scare it away. The hairball stood there stupidly, gawking at me with a grin plastered across its dumb face. Did this thing not fear death?_

 _'I don't want anything from you, I just wanted to thank you for saving me that day" the hairball said. I didn't understand why the hairball wanted to thank me. "Well... there is one thing I want…' it said getting real quiet. Here it comes they always want something in the end, why couldn't anyone leave me in peace they already did enough. I started to turn around to leave the stupid creature standing in the forest like a fool._

 _'I want to be your friend' it said determination lighting up its eyes. I stopped in my tracks, I was thrown off by the thing's request, it was the first time someone had asked of that from me._

 _'I don't have friends nor do I want one' I said wearily, wondering what it was up to. A new trick probably, this creature's lot were sneaky things._

 _'That's okay that makes it better. I'll be your first friend' it said excitedly. The word friend was foreign to me, what does a friend do I wonder._

 _'If we are going to be friends I need a name to call you by' the hairball said. Again it threw me off, it was the first time someone asked for my name._

 _'My name is Keiko, hairball' I said still weary of the creature which stood in front of me._

 _'My name isn't hairball, its ….' the now name creature said angrily._

Before I let myself travel any further in my memory I snapped myself out it. I realized this boy was not like Fuzen this boy shared more characteristics with her than him and I smiled at the thought. But I couldn't remember her name it seemed I had forgotten but of course I had to remember that bastard's name. I wish she never met him, our kind were never meant to mix with these beings for when we do disaster will surely follow.

"Keiko Sensei?" the boy asked.

"Ahh... Um Thanks" I grumbled. "Come along boy," I said next after I started walking down the road.

"My name isn't boy its Daiki and the way to the training grounds isn't that way but this way, Sensei," he said angrily. My smile grew wider, yes the boy was more like her, it had been a very long time since I smiled genuinely. My hand naturally reached for his head ruffling his hair like I did to her so long ago, "Ohh is that so than lead the way Daiki-boy".

"Stop it will ya Sensei." He said batting at my hand. I laughed at his attempt to chase my hand away. I noticed myself laughing and laugh harder, it really had been a long time since I laughed too.

I stood in the center of the training watching the boy trying to complete the task I had given him. His antics were just like hers too when I tried to show her something new. He would eventually get it after a while but I still enjoyed watching him even though he wouldn't be able to do anytime soon. Although, they acted the same they were different because they came from two completely different walks of life.

"Is that everything you can do boy?" I said playfully dodging his attacks without moving and without countering.

Did I really want to help him become stronger, more powerful, more ruthless, a better killer like I was? I kept dodging his attacks still thinking if training him was the right choice but I didn't know.

'If he knew what it meant to take the long and difficult road maybe he would stop being a ninja and keep that innocent smile.' I thought.

"You should call it quits, you are not cut out to be a ninja. All your moves are predictable," I said while I grabbed all ten of his kunais he threw at me. "Not even your weapons are original," I said before throwing them back at him, each kunai hitting its mark and effectively pinning him to a pole.

I walked over to him, "Take my advice, stop being a ninja" I said my voice now serious, "while you still can still laugh because one day you will fight and one day you will have to kill even if it not your will".

"I will never stop being a ninja" he shouted at me which surprised me but I didn't let it show on my face. I turned from him and spoke, "Then when the peace everyone worked so hard to achieve crumbles away and the next great war starts you'll either be lucky and die early or be unlucky and live through a time when good people become monsters."

"Is that what happened to you? Did you watch good people become monsters?" he asked.

"No..." because I was always the monster.

"Well, I can't really understand complicated stuff like that but I want to be a ninja so I can protect everyone even if it means I get hurt. Thank you for worrying about me and trying to be all tough and scary acting but that won't work on me," he said. His words surprised me but before I could speak he kept rambling on. "You know you really must have a big heart if you are concerned for some kid you just met. It must be why Lord Gaara is so infatuated with you," he said.

That boy, I turned and faced him and was irritated with that stupid grin he wore on his face. He reminded more of that stupid hairball which annoyed me more. "That's nonsense. You just remind me of someone I used to know. As if I would be concerned over a brat like you. And for your information, Gaara is not infatuated with me" I spat out while pulling out the kunais that pinned him to the pole.

"Surrrrreee," he said. When did he get so haughty I thought as I pulled out the last kunai.

He reached out and brushed my hair off my neck his action surprised me and I froze, "Then what would you call these on your neck. You can deny it all you want but what I see right now says all" he said with a smirk. "I think I can land a hit now, so one more time, Sensei," he said.

I clamped my hand onto my neck and jumped back a couple times. "You brat," I snarled. I could feel my face heating up and my head was filling up with distracting thoughts. He came at me with new determination and I had trouble deflecting his hits with one hand. I had to move around the training ground in order to block him. This brat when did he become so skilled, he was totally different now than he was a few minutes ago.

"Sensei, there also some love bites you are forgetting on your legs," he yelled to me pointing at my legs. I looked down in panic and that's when I made my mistake, while I was distracted he charged at me. I looked up at the last second and tried to deflect his attack but I became unbalanced on my feet after deflecting his initial attack. I tried to regain my balance but he then poked my chest which sent me tumbling to the ground on my butt. I looked up at him in bewilderment, this brat actually... actually landed a hit on me.

"I finally did it," he hollered to the sky. After yelling to the sky he looked down at me in triumph as if he did the impossible. He offered his hand to help me up and I took it. "If you weren't marrying Lord Gaara I would take you as my wife," he said with that same goofy grin putting his hands behind his head after helping me up.

'This brat,' I thought and before I could give him a piece of my mind, his face paled and then I heard his voice.

"Oh really," Gaara said from behind me.

"I'll be going see you later..." the boy said turning and fleeing for his life

"I'll see you two days after tomorrow at noon sharp, Daiki," he said his voice sharp. Daiki turned his head and nodded before continuing fleeing, his face was even paler than it was before.

"You disobeyed me," he scorned me like I was a child.

I whipped around to face him, "How dare you speak down to me like I am your child" I snapped looking up at him. He stared at me his eyes were dark with some untold emotion I could not place. He was the last person I wanted to be with, "You have no right to interfere with my business, I'm heading back to the house" I snarled.

"You are not my child, you are my wife," he said grabbing my arm. "And I have every right to be involved in your business, wife," he said pulling me to his chest and wrapping his other arm around my waist.

'No not again' I thought as I struggled in his arms but he refused to let me go. He did let go of my arm but only to grab my head turning it so my face was turned looking up at him. He stared into my eyes and I paused in my struggling because I was enthralled by his eyes. I kept staring into his eyes even as he leaned down capturing my lips in a bruising kiss and I didn't fight back. I let him dominate me, the kiss was ruthless and angry filled but the longer he kept kissing me the gentler it became before he finally pulled back.

He stared at me, a slight smirk forming on his face. "No fight left, not even words?" he asked smugly because he could feel how much my legs were trembling and the only thing holding me up was his arm around my waist. Letting go of my head his now freed hand slowly traveled to the end of my shirt and slide under it. His touch was warm and made me shiver. I closed my eyes trying to will the feelings he caused me to feel but it didn't work. It didn't feel bad like it should have and I gritted my teeth in anger because his touch had only felt good ever since the very beginning.

'This bastard' I thought when I felt his fingers rub my inner thigh but then I remembered a scene in the book where the main character kicked the bad guy who was far stronger than her in a certain spot, she was able to escape his grasp. His grip was looser on me now that he was no longer looking or concentrating on my face but instead, he was focusing on where his hand was on my thigh and that's when I did it. I semi-turned kneeing him in his crotch and his hands dropped immediately away from me.

I stumbled away from him completely shocked it had worked on him but when I realized he was unable to do anything I became brave, "Oh no fight left, not even words" I snickered. I was pleased I had done this to him, he was slightly bent over and I couldn't see his face but he had one hand gripping his knee in a bruising hold. 'It must hurt', I thought and kept staring probably for too long because it seemed like he was recovering from my stunt. He lifted his head and his eyes met mine and that's when I knew I made a terrible mistake but still, he deserved it. His eyes told all, he was incredibly pissed but that emotion I couldn't place before lingered.

" **Keiko"** he grounded out. "You better not run",and that's when I decided to run on shaky limbs towards the village. As if I would listen to him and stand there waiting for him to fully recover so he could do whatever he planned on doing to me. I never turned back in fear he was right behind me. I made it into the village and darted in and out of the crowd until I honed on Kankuro and Temari in the marketplace. I ran straight to safety almost knocking Temari to the ground.

'I'm safe, I'm safe' I kept repeating in my head but I knew the moment we were alone he would get me. I definitely shouldn't have done that but I didn't regret it. He had other women so why didn't he marry one of them he would have been happier, right? That bitter feeling I had earlier returned when I pictured Gaara with other women. Yeah, that's right I was nothing but a way to make Suna financially stable so he was stuck with someone he couldn't stand but the thought he was with another woman this morning angered me.

"I don't care" I muttered to myself trying to make myself feel better.

"What did you say?" Temari asked worriedly.

"Nothing" I mumbled while clinging to her shirt while I kept looking behind me.

"Oh okay," she said somewhat confused by my behavior.

* * *

Keiko sat as far as she could from Gaara trying to avoid his gaze. Her head was propped up with her hands as she looked out the window of the train watching the scenery fly by. Her eyes darted back and forth trying to catch everything she saw out the window. Just like how her eyes never left the window Gaara's eyes never strayed from watching her. He noted how easily amused she became about the things she saw outside the window and how quickly she forgot about him.

There was a knock at their door which startled her. She turned her head towards Gaara for a split second until their eyes had met before quickly turning her head back to the window. It annoyed and also confused him that she had fled from him yesterday at the training ground when she had responded so sweetly to him when he had kissed her. He started to remember how she melted into the kiss submitting to him when he swept his tongue across her lips, her lips were so warm and soft.

Another knock at the door and Keiko's eyes glanced back at him. He smirked when he caught Keiko's eyes with his own which made her glare before he responded to the person knocking at the door.

"Come in," Gaara said.

The door opened and a woman pushing a cart full of food came in placing two plates on the table, one in front of Keiko and one in front of Gaara. Keiko glanced at the woman who placed a plate of food in front of her and noticed how the woman stared intently at Gaara. It annoyed her that the woman was so blatantly staring at him, he was no prize that's what she wanted to say but didn't.

"Thank you," Gaara said and the woman smiled at him blushing slightly before bowing in response. Keiko glared at the woman hatefully now, annoyed with the waitress's behavior. The waitress caught Keiko's gaze before standing upright. She quickly looked away before hurrying out of their private booth. Gaara however, did not fail to notice the hateful look Keiko gave the waitress.

"I'm not eating that," Keiko informed Gaara while staring at the food angrily now that she didn't have the waitress to glare at. They must have sat there in complete silence for 20 minutes after Keiko spoke. She glanced over at Gaara's plate of food when she heard the clink of silverware. She watched as he stabbed something with his fork and lift it up but not towards him but towards her.

"I said I'm not eating it. Why don't you feed that woman who was in here, she'll love it? I'm sure she is more..." she snarled out but was unable to finish her sentence as food was shoved into her mouth. Gaara was confused by her hateful behavior towards the waitress.

"You...bas..stard" she said choking on the food in her mouth. She was about to call him more names but only had more food shoved in her mouth. The food tasted so gross to her because it reminded her of all the times her clan had forced her to eat poisoned food. She was sick each and every time and she had come to hate food from then on and only ate when she absolutely needed to. The idea of someone other than her preparing her own food made her sick and she feared each time she ate food touched by others it was laced with poison.

He handed her a drink but she batted his hand away sending the drink to go flying back straight into his lap, the liquid in the cup soaking his top. She froze when she realized what she had done but quickly recovered managing to swallow the majority of the food in her mouth. "Don't you dare touch me" she snarled before attempting to dart out of their compartment but she failed to escape.

He grabbed her arm pulling her onto his lap. "You are going to help me change," he said to her, he was not going to let her run this time around.


	13. Prelude to Icha Icha Paradise

**Author's note- Thanks for the support. Well, when I tried to paste the link the formating is being pasted correctly so the name of her story is His Doll. It's also under my favorite authors and favorites list.**

 **Her story will have Keiko in it thus revealing information I haven't introduce yet to this story. They are basically Keiko's side stories so you don't need to read this story to enjoy this one. Again as mentioned in previous chapters her story is about Sasori/OC. It is rated M for sexual content.**

 **Also, I started college today so my updates will depend on how much work I have.**

 **So thanks again and hope to see you again soon.**

* * *

Keiko's Pov

"You're going to help me change," he spoke his voice rough and dark completely different from when he spoke with the waitress. I stared at his chest complementing on what to do, I was certainly not going to help him change.

"I am not going to help you change. If you seek help ask the waitress she'll be more than happy." I spoke my voice angry and bitter. I was confused as to why I kept bringing up that waitress. I just disliked her, I hated her stupid blonde hair, big doe eyes, big boobs, and long legs. She wore too much makeup and her clothes were too tight as well. "Now unhand me."

"No, now help me change," he commanded his hand snaking around my waist, his fingers digging into my hip in warning if I were to refuse him again. I had very little choice and I brought my hands up to his collar to undo the first button. My hands were inches away from undoing the first button and I hesitated, remembering it was the same coat that covered me yesterday morning. And then I had to remember that terrible heat from that day too, the one he had caused. It was the worst time to remember especially when I sat on his lap unable to escape him like I did at the training grounds. There was also that time he forced me on his lap and he used his fingers...

He grew impatient and he dug his fingers further into my waist and with shaky hands I undid the first button all the while feeling my face heat up. At least he couldn't see my face but I was sure he could feel how frantic my heart was in my chest. I really didn't understand these feeling I got when I was near him it was a mix between hatred and something else but I couldn't place that other emotion. It was not love, I was certain of that because love from what I read and had witnessed was the purest affections for another. What I felt towards him was not love and what he felt towards me was definitely was not love, it was revenge he even said it himself yesterday.

I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind and I started undoing the other buttons with haste wanting to quickly be off his lap and back in my seat looking out the window again. All I should think about is my goal and that was freedom and I would achieve that once I faked my death. I would be free of all these troublesome things I didn't understand.

"I'm curious as to why you keep bringing up the waitress?" he asked me his fingers easing up from their previous bruising hold.

"No reason really," I informed him trying to speak the way I did before I came to this forsaken land but it was hard to do because I had forgotten how I did it. I lacked something before I came here but what was I lacking?

"There must be a reason, tell me, **Keiko** ," he ordered pronouncing my name slowly in my ear. I shuddered as his breath tickled my ear and neck.

"No...reason" I stuttered. Why was I stuttering? I was so confused.

" **Tell me,** " he said in my ear again causing me to shudder again.

"I don't know okay," I snapped letting that bitter feeling override my rational being. I undid the last button of his red coat huffing from my outburst my face redder than it was before. I was beginning to hate myself more for being unable to control my emotions something I used to be so good at doing before. I never let myself be distraught to such a degree.

"Do not dare" he warned before shrugging his coat off. 'Do not dare what' I thought. Did he mean do not run? Even if I attempted to I wouldn't get very far and I wasn't in any position to knee or kick him there again to escape. How I wish I could control my chakra when I was near him because If I could he would not treat me like this. I still never discovered the reason why my chakra was unreachable when I was with him, perhaps my ex-clan gave him something to interfere with it.

"Good," he praised me which angered me but I completely forgot my anger after his next command, "remove my shirt". I didn't respond and he took my hands in his own making me lift his shirt off with him. When I lifted his shirt off I glanced up accidently meeting his eyes with my own, I quickly look down not liking the darkness I saw in his eyes, his eyes were dark like they were yesterday reflecting that same emotion I could not place yesterday. My eyes currently stared at his naked chest and feeling uncomfortable I tried to find something other than Gaara for my eyes to stare at. But I failed miserably when my eyes landed on the scar on his shoulder.

I looked at the scar unsure what I was seeing was indeed real since the stories I heard said he was protected by sand, impenetrable sand. I reached out to touch the scar fascinated, my fingers brushed it lightly tracing the outline of it. I felt him shiver under my touch causing me to pull back in fear that it had hurt him since my scars occasionally caused me to spasm in pain when they brushed against something or were touched. I also hated when others touched me because when others touched me it wasn't for anything but to deliver pain. The only exception was Gaara, his touch was nice but in the end, it was just revenge.

"Sorry," I mumbled looking down at my hands. I really didn't understand why it bothered me that I caused him pain and I also didn't understand why I apologized for causing him pain.

"What for?" he asked his breath shaky. It was obvious by the way he just spoke it hurt so why did he need to ask me?

"When I touched you it hurt didn't it?" I asked my eyes still focused on my hands, I played with my fingers nervously expecting him to hurt me for causing him pain.

"No... It felt good, continue," he spoke utterly confusing me. 'It felt good?' I thought but I wasn't allowed to ponder exactly what was happening because when I didn't continue he picked up my hand laying it on his scar, my eyes followed my hand confused by everything. I hesitantly looked up at face after he sighed with relief when my hand made contact with his skin again, his eyes closing in relaxation.

He confused me yet... I was curious about the scar on his shoulder and again my fingers went back to tracing it. And again I felt him shudder but I didn't stop because he had said he was not in pain. I was so intrigued by the old wound, dozens of questions floated around my head about the wound.

"What happened here?" I asked lifting up all my fingers except for one stopping in the center of the scar, poking it before trailing all my fingers downwards. I shouldn't have let my curiosity get the better of me.

"Chunin exams" he groaned his abdominal muscles contracting as if he was ticklish. A voice in the back of my head told me to stop but I didn't listen and continued to skim my fingers along and over his skin.

"Chunin exams" I mumbled still fascinated by how I was making his skin quiver by my touch, my attention no longer on his scar but his reaction to my touch. He must be ticklish I thought remembering the Hairball was ticklish too and took my other hand and ran my fingertips along his side. Before I could tickle him any further I heard footsteps nearing our compartment which snapped me out of my disgusting behavior.

'How could I?" I thought and pulled back immediately not wanting whoever was coming to see me like this with him. I was so mad now about how I had forgotten I currently sat on someone's lap that detested me as much as I did him, I also forgot I was angry he forced me onto his lap too, and then how could I forget he forced food in my mouth. I was forgetting and also remembering too much when he was concerned.

He grabbed me by waist digging his fingers back into my skin before jerking me back to him and roughly positioning me on his lap so I was straddling him. I struggled to get away, trying to push myself off him but to no avail. He pressed me down on his lap and I felt something hard...No, I panicked and that's when there was a slight knock on the door before it slid opened.

I turned and looked feeling myself freeze up, there stood the waitress from earlier with a cart with dirty dishes. Why didn't she wait for someone to tell her to come in?

* * *

"I'm so sorry" squeaked the waitress slamming the door shut to their compartment.

Gaara's eyes and attention had briefly strayed to the waitress before returning to Keiko who was stunned by being caught in such a compromising position. Keiko straddled his lap with both of her hands on his unclothed chest but he cared not if the waitress had seen them and was more focused on his current problem. He readjusted Keiko on his lap over his aching erection and a low frustrated groan escaped his throat. He wanted her and cared little about what she wanted at the moment especially after yesterday events at the training grounds. He didn't understand why she rejected him yesterday when she melted like putty every time he touched her. Kieko shock of being caught by the waitress wore off as she began squirming on his lap trying to get off of him.

"A little bit more to the right and harder," he said shuddering in pleasure. Keiko stopped her struggles at a loss on what to do, confused more than ever because never had she had been in a situation such as this one. Never had she had a mission like this and never had she felt emotions like she did now so she did not know what to do. All she had for information about situations such as these was that book she read and some details the hairball had given her.

 _Flashback_

 _Keiko slept under the cherry tree, a soft breeze blew knocking loose flower petals from the tree. She watched as a single petal floated slowly down ultimately landing on her nose. She was so tired and didn't bother brushing the petal from her nose. All she ever wanted now was sleep and she closed her eyes but it was not long until a familiar touch woke her from her nap._

 _She opened her eyes, "Furball", she mumbled her vision still blurry from just waking._

 _"Are you okay, Keiko? Lately, all you been doing is sleeping," she asked her voice filled with worry while she picked the flower petal off of her nose and the others that had fallen while she slept._

 _"I'm fine" Keiko muttered and she stared at the woman in front of her. No longer was she the furball she knew but a namuh, it saddened her but she was still furball to her even if her appearance had changed. Well, not completely namuh but close enough, enough where she could be with that namuh man, Fuzen._

 _"If you say so, I'm just worried that I'm the cause of you being..." she said pausing at the end of the sentence._

 _"No, I'm just tired and right now hungry" Keiko lied. She would not worry her only friend with her condition._

 _"By any chance are you pregnant?" she asked Keiko causing her to wake up fully caused from her question._

 _"Course not," she sputtered causing her friend to laugh at her._

 _"Well, you been tired lately and now you are saying you are hungry," she said laughing amused by Keiko's reaction._

 _"As if," Keiko snorted through her nose._

 _"I thought you might have become interested due to my wicked stories and just a little bit I thought you might have frolicked with another. It is quite an experience, ~Keiko~," she laughed._

 _"Never," Keiko said rolling her eyes but then she_ _detected the sound of a second heartbeat and lowered her eyes to her friend's stomach trying to forget how terrible she felt right now and how little time she had left with her friend. She wanted to know more and leaned forward and rested her head against her friend's stomach._

 _It was faint but Keiko heard the unborn baby's heartbeat, this namuh process always fascinated her. "Again" she whispered sadly because she would not be here when the baby would be born. She wondered if the child would look like the furball or that man._

 _"Really," the furball squealed in a shrill voice._

 _"Not so loud, it hurts my ears" Keiko groaned shaking her head. 'This hairball. How often do I need to tell her my ears are sensitive?' Keiko thought annoyed._

 _"I'm so happy, I'm going to be having another. I hope its a girl this time," she giggled holding her stomach. She looked at Keiko brimming with happiness. "Mhhh, I want you to name my child," she said. Her request threw Keiko off but a slight smile tugged at her lips at the same time, this creature was always surprising her._

 _"A lily or a rose" Keiko asked closing her eyes waiting for her friend's response. Her question derived from an old tale if the pregnant woman chose a lily it would be a boy and if she chose a rose it would be a girl._

 _Flashback Ends_

"Let me go," Keiko panicked her eyes going from right to left frantically looking for something to get her out of this situation.

"No," Gaara simply stated before grinding her against him forcefully, he wanted to be in her but he wanted her begging first. He then looked at her in wonderment as he grinded her against him, she was beautiful, he especially liked her long, black cascading hair. During her struggle with him, it had moved away from her neck, revealing the hickey he had given her.

'So that's why she wore her hair down today, to cover it up.' he thought before leaning down to nuzzle her neck, tormented by his need his breaths were heavy and slow. He saw how much it had healed in a day and decided to give her a new one. His tongue swiped out licking the mark he had given her tracing it much like she did with her fingers with his scar. He could feel her breaths grow heavy too with each flick and lick of his tongue which only spurred him on.

He kept grinding her against him finding a rhythm, her fingers digging into his chest her nails cutting into his flesh causing him to bleed. Shukaku was also present liking the feeling of her nails scratching Gaara's chest craving her to do the same to his host's back. Gaara seemed to like the feeling as well and liked the idea of her marking him, the feeling of nails on his skin was a mixture of pain and pleasure.

 _' **Push her down, boy'**_ Shukaku demanded to Gaara becoming needy wanting the same thing as his host.

'Not yet, I want her begging for me to take her' Gaara said finding it difficult to form a coherent sentence for the sand demon.

Gaara lips locked onto her neck nipping her neck gently causing small moans to pass through her lips. He felt her relaxing in his hold but suddenly she renewed her struggles again, her mind fighting what her body desired and he bit down on her neck reminding her that there was no escape this time.

"Please," she whimpered when she felt his teeth sink into her sensitive flesh. He withdrew his teeth from her flesh when she stilled in his arms again.

"Please what?... Tell me I want to know so I can give it to you," he responded, back to kissing her neck softly in between sentences. His breath tickling her neck and the constant grinding causing her to shiver non-stop. She felt light-headed, every touch and whisper sparking a carnal desire within her that she was unfamiliar with.

"Please, let me go. I'm not copulating with you, not now and not ever" she yelled smacking one of her palms against his chest.

"Copulating?" he asked still kissing her neck, skimming his teeth against the spot he just bit seconds ago. She flinched from the feeling. "You mean sex?" he asked finding her ear and nibbling on the lobe.

'She spoke so strangely sometimes' Gaara thought still nibbling her ear but he liked how she talked.

"Just stop, will you? It hurts and if you want revenge just beat me," she snarled in his chest.

"Revenge? Beat you? " Gaara asked ignoring her request and continued to lay kisses upon her neck. "I don't understand". He was confused and her words about revenge confused him even more. He didn't understand why she thought what he was currently doing to her was revenge.

"I said it hurts" she growled annoyed how heated her body felt, how frustrated she felt from his revenge, and how he wasn't listening to her. She decided it wouldn't end unless she made it black and white and pressing her lips against his neck she sunk her teeth into his flesh.

He stilled after she sunk her teeth into his skin and she hesitantly withdrew her teeth and looked up at his face. His eyes looked into hers, and she knew she had made a mistake because his eyes were flickering from his usual pretty cyan color to that ominous black and gold like the last time she had displeased him. The moment she bit him, it was like a switch had been flipped in him, a switch she never wanted to flip in the first place. He brought one hand that was previously grinding her against his erection to her face, his thumb wiping away his blood from the corner of her lip before colliding his lips with her own.

It was rough and animalistic, he did not hesitate to use his teeth to gain access to her mouth when she tried to deny him. She could taste her own blood from her bleeding lip and his blood from when she bit him when they kissed. She felt powerless now as he dominated her, his lips consuming hers while his hand slid underneath her kimono. His tongue felt odd again, it had a rough and raspy quality to it like it did last time when Shukaku had surfaced but she did not find it unpleasant.

His hand was feeling and learning her underneath her kimono and was not in the less gentle because his dull nails were sharp claws now scratching her soft skin and drawing blood with every touch. His hand eventually found one of her breasts and began roughly groping it. Her moans were stifled in the kiss and she began subcombing to lust she was so unfamiliar with. His unoccupied hand found one of her hands grabbing it and leading it to his arousal. Resting it on his arousal his hand began unzipping the zipper to his pants with haste.

The train whistling brought Keiko back from her lust induced haze, it whistle was informing all onboard they had arrived at their destination. She found the strength to pull away from him but not completely causing him to fly with her into the table with their uneaten food on it. She took the chance to scramble away from him, stand, and wipe her mouth free of the blood before fleeing from their compartment. She slammed open and closed the door much like the waitress did.

Gaara laid on the ground seething along with broken plates, food, and silverware. Shukaku was annoyed with his host for a lost opportunity but was laughing at him for the position he was in.

' **Should have just bent her over from the start, boy. You can't even take a cold shower to get rid of your problem** ' he crackled.

'Shut up' he growled at the tenuki.

 **'Sensitive, eh'** the demon crackled again before Gaara forcefully shut him up in his cage.

Gaara quickly threw on his shirt and jacket before someone came rushing in due to the crashing noise. His shirt and coat were still wet but it was better than having others see his current problem. The door slammed open and Kankuro stood in the doorway out of breath.

"I heard a noise are you okay?" Kankuro asked looking at Gaara and then at the mess on the floor. "Where's Keiko?" He asked then he looked up at his brother, "And what happened to your neck, it looked like something bit you."

"It was nothing, tell them sorry for the mess" Gaara spoke walking past Kankuro.

Kankuro stood there confused as Gaara walked past him. Temari missing Gaara came up behind Kankuro.

"Glad we are finally here. Too bad that we couldn't all sit together and what was that noise just now?" she asked and then saw the mess in front of Kankuro. Before Kankuro could explain anything she spoke, "Did you do this?"

"No, why would you think that? Gaara.." Kankuro said becoming irritated Temari thought he was the cause.

"Don't you blame Gaara, Kankuro," she said starting to yell.

"Don't start with your harpy screech," fired Kankuro back at Temari.

Their bickering started to draw the attention of the train employees and other passengers. A waitress attempted to diffuse the situation but failed miserably and the fight wouldn't end until Temari noticed the crowd they had attracted. In embarrassment she ended up punching Kankuro's head forcing him to kneel in front of the waitress apologizing for the mess he made.

Meanwhile, Keiko was running down the train aisle towards the nearest exit while she kept rubbing her lips furiously as if to smite the whole memory of just now from her brain. Her whole mantra while she ran was 'that bastard'. Elsewhere but close by, a man known for being constantly late with lame excuses and also reading Icha Icha Paradise was wandering around with a group of noisy and excited Kohana ninjas.


	14. I love You

**This is a super long chapter its like an triple chapter, longer than I usually write. Sorry, I haven't updated, been studying like crazy to pull all As so I have a chance to get in med school. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and hopefully I can get a few more chapters in before X-mas break is done.**

Keiko's POV

I was the first one to exit the train and I just kept running, I wasn't really sure where I was going, I just knew I wanted to be as far away from everything I could. The train had yet to come to a halt yet but that didn't bother me. Memories and new feelings warped my being, I didn't understand anything and I felt so alone. I just wanted to go home back to the place I belonged, the only place I have ever belonged. I might have been alone there but it was my place and loneliness was the only thing I felt. If I never dreamed of being able to find another being to connect with then I would never be in a situation like this one.

I slowed down and started to walk a slow pace, my lips tingled as so did the rest of my body. 'Why does he touch me and why does he kiss me?' I asked myself bringing my fingers to my lips touching them while closing my eyes. When I touched my lips I could almost remember the feel of Gaara's lips on mine and I knew he was doing something to me that was irreversible.

"But to him, it's just revenge" I whispered quietly to myself and I did not know why the thought bothered me. After all, he was no one to me, really he was just a stranger and even now I knew very little about him. I started compiling everything I knew about him, him watering his cati, him working, him eating that strange food he seemed to like... then I stopped my train of my thought.

"This is wrong" I muttered dazed, I was not myself something was changing in me. I took another step and lost my balance almost falling before steadying myself, "I'm such a fool" I muttered to myself once more before walking once more. I didn't know who I was anymore and I didn't know where I was going. My destination was unknown to me and I could feel the adrenaline leaving my body.

Walking was becoming difficult because I had to concentrate on moving my feet, my body just felt so hot and achy. It seemed as if my body was screaming at me for running away from him and his touches and it should have repulsed me the idea of him touching me but it didn't. Even though I tried to deny what was happening I was beginning to crave his touches as much as my body and I resented myself for it. Never would I thought I would crave another's touch especially that of a namuh who only desire was some twisted type of revenge. I was just confused because this thing I was doing resembled a family and all I ever wanted was a family...

I closed my eyes in defeat, it was exhausting thinking about everything and all I wanted now was to find a place to rest. When I reopened my eyes and looked around I realized I was lost. I didn't remember where I had come from but I did know I was in a village; however, I didn't know what village I was in because I wasn't paying attention to where Temari or anyone else had said as to where we were going. Then a soft breeze justled my hair causing me to turn in the direction it blew in, I inhaled it and was immediately reminded of the past as a familiar scent filled my nose.

It smelled of the earth after a raging thunderstorm which caused excitement to stir within me. The tiredness I had felt early had disappeared as I began to pump my legs in the direction of the scent. I felt like a child again bounding forward but a small piece of me feared it wasn't Silver Fang but how could I mistake his scent of wild lightning for anyone but him. I rounded several corners several times barely dodging others on my way to him, my heart beating in wild joy that we would be together again, the corner of my lips turning up in a smile.

* * *

Keiko chose to ignore the whispers in her mind, instead choosing to listen to the folly of her own heart. How she yearned for something familiar in a lonely and strange place but trying to relive the past which has already gone by will only cause her more heartache. When she saw the gleam of silver her heart thundered with more happiness as the sight only confirmed her belief this person was her Silver Fang. Eager to catch up to him she raced forward retracing steps she already took long ago but her happiness would only be short lived as her encounter will only cause her to relive a harsh truth.

She calls out to him, "Silver" but he continues to walk ignoring her yells to him. She tries again, "Silver...Silver!" she yells becoming flustered by his attitude towards her. With a burst of speed, Keiko grabs his shirt's sleeve forcing him to come to a stop.

"Caught ya Silver and what's with you ignoring me like that," she whines like a child. It had been so long since she felt so happy and her face is brimming with untold joy.

The man whose sleeve she has turns around and Keiko is shocked, this was not her Silver Fang. The man may have looked like him, they had the same height, same build, and same silver hair but something about the eyes was different... This man who stood in front of her was not her Silver because her Silver's scar was over the right eye and this man didn't have a scar...

Keiko's thoughts raced, 'An imposter? No... that isn't right because... Silver was dead, wasn't he? He died a long time ago...' The truth sunk in when she realized Silver was dead and then she realized if he was dead so was Furball. They were both dead and that's why they hadn't looked for her. Her heart trembled with grief with the truth of her situation because she was truly alone now. The sorrow she felt was unbearable and she couldn't contain it, tears welled in her eyes.

The memories of the times she was with Furball and Silver resurfacing, and she wondered how she forgot all the happy and sad days she spent with them. They were her world and now she felt so empty knowing they were gone while she the monster was still breathing.

"Who are you" she sputtered on the verge of crying, the truth of knowing about their deaths tearing at her heart.

"My name is Kakashi, I'm not.." he begins to say to clear up the misunderstanding but she starts crying yanking on his shirt sleeve profusely.

"Why" she chokes out her eyes staring up into his while tears stream down her face. He pities her but somewhere inside of him yearns to comfort her so he reaches out to her to comfort her. Even though they had never met she felt so familiar to him.

'Why, am I always left behind?' Keiko thought, while a bundle of emotions raged through her small body.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes while patting her shoulder in comfort loss at what else to do but he somewhat understood her problem. She had mistaken him for someone else that she held very dear to her heart.

"Why" she whimpers still tugging at his sleeve, pleading for an answer she didn't have a question for. Lost in her grief she was unaware of the crowd forming around them, even the man was unaware till he overheard a few mumbles from the crowd.

"What's happening" someone whispered in the crowd to another person.

"Apparently, he used her and tossed her away" answered someone else.

"Who would with a babe like that? " some guy shouted in disbelief loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

On the other side of the crowd, a group of gossiping old hags had been present for the scene and like everyone else in the crowd they had thought the same. Even though they had known this man since a boy and nothing like this had every occurred before, they weren't surprised seeing this because they had somewhat expected it.

"I can't believe that man, I know he notorious for reading those disgusting books but for him to lay his hands on such a young and proper woman," muttered one of the old hags.

Another whispers back, "It's a shame the heir of the Hatake clan would do such a thing to a young girl".

"It's not what it looks like" shouted Kakashi in pure panic at the crowd that was forming but some in the crowd just shook their heads in disappointment, others shock, and others were entertained.

"Come on," he said grabbing the girl's arm practically dragging her away from the onlookers that had gathered. He rounded several corners in less populated areas and was about to round another corner until he heard a loud and boisterous voice.

"The power of youth" shouted a man he knew all too well. The voice sent shivers down Kakashi's spine and he quickly yanked the girl's arm towards him pulling her into his embrace before she could round the corner. He did not want to be caught with a crying girl by Gai of all people. The situation to begin with was already bad but it would only get worse if Gai was involved. Kakashi knew he would eventually be pulled into Tsunade's office once the rumor hits her ear but he wanted to avoid as much trouble as possible until then.

As Kakashi peered around the corner, the warmth of his embrace calmed Keiko and her crying slowly subsided, her initial grief ebbing away leaving her feeling empty inside now that she knew the truth. Like Silver Fang, this man's presence soothed her soul and she had no doubt that he was a descendant of her Silver.

"Thank you," she whispered to the man, the last of her tears trailing down her face.

Before he could respond another loud and obnoxious voice shouted behind him, "Kakashi Sensei what are you doing over there?"

"Kakashi, where?" shouted Gai in the distance causing Kakashi to grow pale.

* * *

I turned and saw a kid with a vibrant smile and bright blonde hair, I couldn't help but stare. He was so familiar to me but I knew I had never met this kid until now. My heart started to race and I began to panic, I needed to run, to get far away from this kid. My body screamed danger and it was the first time I felt true fear since... since that day. From behind the boy, he emerged and my eyes widened in pure horror.

I thought I had escaped him but how is he alive and how did he find me. His mouth was pulled back in a mocking sneer, his dark and cold eyes glistened with the same untold horrors, and I couldn't do anything but stare into his eyes witnessing his corrupted soul. I couldn't move my legs, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't close my eyes, the only thing I could do was watch as he steadily approached me. He walked past the blonde kid and my heart raced faster. How did they not see him, how did they not feel the danger which oozed from him. I did the only thing I could do which was squeeze Kakashi's arm with my hand.

But Kakashi was ignorant of my warning. He walked right up to me, and they did nothing to stop him, how could they not tell how frightened I was. He stopped in front of me and leaned forward, his face was so close to mine I could feel his cold breath on my face. He reached his hand out towards my face. I wanted to recoil but I couldn't.

"What wrong," he whispers before his hand makes contact with my cheek and my world goes black. My body feels as if it weighs nothing and all I can hear are panicking voices around me and his haughty laughter before my black world becomes silent as well.

I woke up gasping for air, my throat was so dry, "Water" I choked out in a strangled voice. Within seconds of my request, I felt a cup brimming with cold water pressed to my lips. I swallowed it down greedily, the water soothing my burning throat. When I had enough I pushed the cup away from my face gently and quickly fell back onto the bed. I felt myself drifting to sleep but I could have sworn I felt the gentlest touch on my head, the fingers threading through my hair rubbing my scalp in a soothing manner.

When I woke the second time I felt refreshed, I slowly sat up and looked around at my surroundings. I wasn't sure where I was but it looked similar to Gaara's office but messier than his. I still felt uneasy but I was sure what I saw was a hallucination or perhaps a memory from my past. He was dead, I had killed him but it was a warning of some sort and I had to figure it out but first I had to figure out where I was. I glanced around the room and spotted a sleeping Kankuro on the window sill, of course, they found me and of course they would never leave me unguarded.

I pushed myself off the couch, and I walked over to where he was. He looked pretty lame, he was drooling sound asleep what a guard he was. My eyes looked out the window thinking about everything, the sun was setting and the lights in the city were beginning to flicker on. I had so many questions, so little answers, and forgotten memories.

"Kankuro, you're drooling," I spoke looking out the window still in deep thought. Me calling his name startled him awake, it was quite funny.

"Wait what?...Keiko?" he began.

"You're drooling it's disgusting," I stated a slight smile forming on my face. I felt myself being pulled into that false lull again and quickly drew my lips back. I needed to find Kakashi, maybe Silver had left me something which might explain my foggy memory. I knew things without knowing why, remembered others things but I couldn't piece everything together.

"Ohh sorry. I must have dozed off," he chuckled. "Anyway Gaara will be back soon we forced him to get something to eat. He wouldn't leave your side the whole time."

"Forced? What do you mean" I asked turning my head to look at Kankuro, my face scrunching up in confusion trying to understand what he meant.

"I mean you have him wrapped around your finger. I'm not sure how you did it but you did, I like him like this, leaves me some opportunities to make fun of him. All and all you're good for him you know that." He said rubbing the back of his head still chucking.

"I don't understand, I don't," I said more confused than I already was and that's when he burst out in laughter.

"Wait, you really don't understand do you," he said in disbelief and began laughing at me again. "This is good, too good," he said wiping the tears from his eyes. I was getting really annoyed at him, I wasn't sure what he was talking about but I knew he was making fun of me for not understanding something.

"Well where are we," I said looking around doing my best to ignore him and also change the subject.

"The Hokage's office," he said a smirk still on his face.

"The Hokage's office, it's rather messy here nothing like Gaara's office," I said looking at all the bottles of empty booze and scattered papers.

"No, it's not, this village and the residents here are nothing like you seen before." he said.

"I know Silver and," I said mumbling my thoughts out loud, I wasn't thinking really about what I said and it was a mistake. I was deep in thought, the memories of my past were there but not there at the same time. It was like putting together a puzzle and missing some of the pieces.

"Who's Silver Keiko?" Kankuro asked curiously pulling me from my thoughts. My eyes went wide at the realization I spoke something that was private aloud to someone else, it was a giant mistake on my part.

"No one, no one at all. Forget I even said it," I panicked walking past Kankuro in a hurry. My heart was hurting again, it hurt so bad, was it because I couldn't remember or was it because they were dead. I didn't know for sure.

"Did it have something to do with what happen earlier?" Kankuro asked again. Images of people dying by my doing flashed through my head, their screams and pleas for help filled my head. I could almost hear his voice now beckering and ordering me to do the worst things possible. I felt sick thinking about what I had done to those innocent people.

"No..Just drop it," I said my hands clenching into fists, I glanced down and noticed the white of my knuckles were showing. It surprised me but at the same time, it didn't I was having trouble controlling my emotions every since I meet these strange people, and I was glad he couldn't see my face I didn't want him to see how I feeling. I had to let it go, it did me no good to let the past control my emotions, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Let's go" I spoke my voice calm and even again. I left Kankuro to mull over my brief episode of vulnerability, he shouldn't get to used to it because he will be attending his sister-n-law's funeral soon.

"Go where?" he asked before it clicked in his head that I meant out of the building. "Wait, Keiko! I'll get in trouble with Gaara if you..." he began to say before I slammed the door in his face. He was right behind me pleading with me to go back but I simply ignored him. I eventually found my way to the restaurant following the scent of wild lightning much to Kankuro's dismay. It was cold out and I couldn't wait to get inside and I tried for the second time to slam the door in Kankuro's face this time failing.

I entered the restaurant and everyone turned and looked over at me growing silent some glancing at Gaara then back to me. He stared at me and I knew he was irritated, good he should be. However, Sakura was the first to speak up.

"Keiko you should be resting!" she said worriedly. She began to get up so I had to speak up.

"I'm not ill I was just tired, I was just so excited to meet all of you I didn't get much sleep" I spoke sweetly forcing myself to smile at everyone.

"Ohh I'm glad. I mean I couldn't find anything wrong with you so that explains it" she said. After she said that everyone jumped up and ran over to me to introduce themselves and how they meet Gaara. The blonde boy was the first then the man in the wheelchair with the obnoxious green track suit. It was overwhelming but eventually they went back to their own seats, back to chatting amongst each other. Kankuro brushed passed me whispering something only I could hear.

"Liar," he said before sitting down opposite of Gaara. Kankuro, Temari, Gaara, and Kakashi were the only ones who didn't believe my lie, I could tell from their faces. I knew Gaara expected me to sit next to him but there was a vacant seat next to Kakashi. I walked really fast past Gaara and plopped down next to Kakashi and took a quick glance at Gaara who seemed unfazed by my action. That was good I was expecting some sort of reaction from him but the only ones who seemed to be reacting from my action were Kankuro and Temari. They seemed really jittery, Kankuro spilling his drink and Temari dropping some of her silverware.

"You should sit next to you fiance, Miss" Kakashi spoke his visible eye lazily looking down at me.

"That's okay, I would think he would want me to thank the person who caught me when I fainted. It's only proper," I spoke playing with my fingers before looking up at Kakashi's face innocently. He looked so much like Silver that it somewhat calmed my frayed nerves from earlier. He looked at Gaara before looking back at me and sighing and he looked like he was going to say something else to me but was interrupted abruptly.

"Kakashi, let the young girl thank you," hollered the man in the green tracksuit whose name if I remember correctly was Gai.

"If he doesn't want me to then it's okay. I'll go sit with my fiance, I probably caused him enough problems today." I muttered acting as if I was disappointed.

"Don't be silly Keiko-chan. Sorry for the actions of my youthful comrade" Gai apologized then he turned to Kakashi and began to whisper-yell holding his hand up next to his mouth attempting to block my view of his words, "Kakashi act like a gentleman in the presence of a proper woman, it's not often we get such chances."

I began giggling, trying to fit into the role I had been given. It was not as forced as my smile from earlier but it was still uncomfortable. I did not like acting or pretending to be someone I wasn't. It made me wondered when this life of pretend began.

"Beautiful wildflower what's so funny," Gai asked in bewilderment.

"Gai, she laughing at you" muttered Kakashi annoyed, it seemed he had given up on trying to persuade me to go sit next to Gaara. Since he was unable to persuade me to go sit next to Gaara I assume he was going to try his best to ignore my presence.

"What did I say?" he asked in confusion. Some people approximately my age a table over were shaking their heads in disgust, I assumed they were his students so I could only assume most people viewed this man's behavior as odd. Although these people surrounding Silver's descendent were strange I could tell they were still good people, Silver would be happy knowing this. When I found his grave I will mention it to him, that and everything I encountered. My thoughts were interrupted when a waitress carrying food and drinks came to our table passing some of it to Gai and Kakashi. She seemed a little confused when she looked at me, I'm guessing it was because I was not here when she took the order and she didn't have an order for me.

"Dear, would you like something?" she asked after passing everyone their food and drink. At first, I wondered if she was talking to me, I wasn't really used to this treatment from people.

"Beautiful wildflower, don't be shy, tell her what you want," Gai said jumping in when he saw my hesitation.

"I'm good, thank you," I said pretending to be shy. Maybe I really was, I was out of my comfort zone, normally I would have killed my target already if I was on a mission or already given orders for a mission if it was during a clan dinner. I was never asked if I ever wanted anything and if I was given anything it was not for my benefit.

"Well, let me know if you want anything, okay hon," the waitress said smiling at me. I smiled back trying to imitate how everyone was acting.

"I will thank you," I said still feeling uncomfortable about how nice everyone was to me. 'If they know what type of monster I was, would they still act like this?', I thought to myself silently.

The waitress turned and left but not before glaring at Gai. I wondered what earned him that glare, he seemed nice, he was just extremely hyperactive. I looked over at Kakashi's plate and noticed not only did it smell good it looked good. The food looked like the food Silver used to eat but I was having trouble recalling the name of it which bothered me a lot. But instead of eating his food he pulled a book out and begins reading and it wasn't any book, it was the book I wanted, _Icha Icha Paradise_. I watched him curiously about why he pulled the book out when he was finally served but my question would be answered shortly.

I found out by watching him he used the book to cover his face while he ate so no one could see his face and it reminded me of Silver because he used to do that too. The smell from the food drifted to my nose causing me to become hungry so his next spoonful of food I stole. It tasted good and I didn't have to worry about poison or anything if he was eating it, it was safe. Next was his drink, I think it was sake since it smelled like alcohol and just like its smell it tasted like shit burning my throat on its way down. Somewhere nearby I heard something break but my attention was drawn back to Kakashi who must have been stunned by what I just did.

"Hollld oonnn!" Kakashi stuttered.

"Kakashi let the girl..." Gai yelled before his head hit the table suddenly, he was out cold. He had only one cup of sake though. After Gai passed out everything became a blur. Someone or more than one someone collected Gai at some point, I think it was his students, I saw Temari leave with some man, and I saw Kankuro stumbled out but other than that everything else became hazy. I kept eating and drinking till the bottle was empty and the food from Kakashi's plate was gone.

The alcohol made the hurt somewhat distant along with everything else, I just wanted to forget all the hurt and I heard namuhs drowned their miseries with it all the time. I was on my tenth or eleventh glass or even my twentieth glass for all I knew, I did know I had drunk a lot and I had become drunk. I was surprised I actually got drunk I never had before but something was different about me; however, the memories of my past were all hazy to begin with and was even more hazy with the alcohol clouding my mind.

Perhaps it was the alcohol influence but I stole another glance at Gaara, it wasn't my first glance of the evening it was just something about him which drew me towards him like a moth drawn towards a flame but I would never admit it aloud. A thought about me being a moth drawn towards made me think of a very ill thought, the moth usually died or the flame was blown out. I wouldn't normally admit it to myself, so it must be the alcohol's influence. It just had to be otherwise I wouldn't be thinking these disturbing thoughts right now.

Pushing the thoughts aside I yawned drowsily, I was tired from everything and really I just wanted to go to bed but that meant asking Gaara because Temari and Kankuro had already retired for the evening. I started thinking about what to do but it was really hard right now because of the alcohol. All I needed was the key to the room and the room number.

The door from outside opened just long enough for a cold breeze to slip in and chill me. I was wearing a thin kimono which offered me little warmth causing me to yearn for the warmth and comforts of a bed. It also caused me to snuggle further into Kakashi's side for his warmth. Stealing Kakashi's warmth made me wonder if Gaara was cold too since he was native to Suna and I stole another glance at him to see if my suspensions were correct. But they weren't, he seemed warm under that furred coat. It made me think of his hands and if my memory proved correct they were warm and comfortable on my skin and how nice it would be if his hands were on me again.

I shook my head, I shouldn't think like that, after all, I just need to ask him what room we were staying in and the key for the room, I did not need to think about unnecessary things. I glanced once more time at Gaara and wondered if he bought the coat, did someone else buy it for him, perhaps that woman he saw that night or even that Matsuri girl gave it to him. It irritated me thinking a woman bought him that coat and here I was cold and that damn dick was nice and warm in some coat some bitch had the nerve to buy for him. Fueled by my anger and due to the alcohol's influence, I decided against asking him for the key and the room's location and did something stupid. Something more than likely I would unknowingly regret later.

"Nee.. Kakashiiii can I sllleeep with you tonighhtt" I hiccuped looking up at equally drunk Kakashi. I saw the beginning of a no form on his lips so I tightened my grip on his arm and began to begged, "Pleeeasse. I luvvv youuu...so mucchh Silverrr" but my begging came to an abrupt halt as I was yanked away from Kakashi's arm.

"Enough," a stern but a familiar voice commanded but before I could question what was happening I was enveloped by a familiar heat. The warmth I recognized belonged to Gaara so I relaxed into it, my tongue too becoming lax. The anger faded from me, it felt good to finally feel safe, it was only with him that I felt totally safe from the nightmares that plagued me.

"You're warm just like what I thought," I mumbled burying my head into his chest sighing in relief now that I was warm. "Can we go to bed now?" I asked, my voice muffled by his shirt and I closed my eyes unaware of how easily it was for me to drift off to sleep. I fell asleep before I could hear his answer.

The next thing I knew was a cold stream of water was jolting me awake, the alcohol induced sleep vanishing in an instant.

"What the hell" I screamed trying to get out of reach of the cold water but I wasn't able to as my body was thrown up against a wall before I could. I opened my eyes and all I could see was the wall in front of my face in what I think was a shower. The water which was previously ice cold turned warm, which was better than it being ice cold.

"What the hell" I yelled again, pissed. My discomfort was fueling my anger.

The only response I received was, "your dirty, strip" and the hands pinning me were gone. I turned around to see Gaara in front of me still dressed, his clothes soaked from the shower. His eyes were flickering back and forth from his cyan blue eyes to the ominous gold and black color. My heart was thundering in my chest, this was not only Gaara but Shukaku his sand demon.

"Strip" he ordered again his voice raspy this time. I wanted to say no but the word never escaped my mouth, my body somehow saving me from doing something extremely stupid I supposed. I guess I figured at the time I didn't have much of a choice and I started undoing the obi of my kimono trying to think of a way to get myself out of this situation but I couldn't think of anything. My mind kept hitting roadblocks, I knew I would never drink again the alcohol was dulling my senses to the point I'm guessing what it was like to be a civilian.

Gaara, maybe Shukaku or both stared at me as I was undoing my obi. I wasn't sure what exactly was going on even though the cold shower jolted me awake I was still out of it, it felt like everything was in slow motion. I was wishing I had worn more clothes so I could prolong whatever he was planning for me. After undoing the obi on my kimono I just stared blankly at his chest avoiding his eyes, I was unsure what to do. My heart thundered in my chest and I wondered if I was afraid.

The last time Shukaku surfaced was when I lied about the injury on my hand and like last time my heart had beat wildly in my chest but it wasn't in fear. I couldn't readily place this emotion but I disliked it... I kept thinking about the time Shukaku surfaced that time and what he did to me... he didn't hurt me he like he seemed worried about my wound just like Gaara. It was confusing, to say the least as to why someone would be concerned about their enemy's wound. I couldn't figure out what it meant, I was becoming more confused with ever interaction I had with these people so much my emotions bubbled over.

"What the hell do you want you bastard?!" I shouted in anger and also confusion forcing myself to meet his eyes.

" **You're mine** " he growled as if it was common knowledge. He continued to stare at me his eyes continuing to flicker from his pretty eye color to the ominous eyes of Shukaku. Shukaku's eyes were pretty in a twisted sense and I couldn't help but stare at them admiring how pretty they were at that particular moment. I assumed most individuals who saw Shukaku or even through Gaara would be afraid, but I felt no fear staring into his eyes. I was simply thinking the eyes of a supposed monster were pretty.

However, his statement confused me more. What did he mean by his and not only that his words reminded me the day I trained Daiki. He had called me his wife and said something like my business was also his but didn't he tell me he didn't care what I did as long as I didn't interfere with his business. His words didn't make any sense at all at least my ex-clan kept to their word...

"I belong to no one and I especially don't belong to you" I snarled slapping one of my hands against the shower wall the sound echoing loudly in the enclosed space. I had forgotten about how pretty their eyes were and I was now focused on this thought of being owned. It was terrifying, I didn't want that to happen again to me, never again.

'Again' the thought repeated over and over again in my head and it fueled a full-blown panic within me, I had to escape and hide. I just had too and with all my internal panicking that was occurring in my head he had closed the distance between us. I felt his body against mine, his warm breath on my cheek and his hand trailing up my neck, it sent chills across my body. It was like chills caused from being caught in the cold but I wasn't cold, I felt extremely warm. I may have been lost, confused, and angry but the panic of being owned brought forth a forgotten and primal instinct.

His hand reached my hairline and trailed back down along my jaw, his fingers danced dangerously close to my lips. His other hand played with the opening of my kimono pushing it open revealing my juban. He began to fumble with the string securing my juban as he nipped the side of my jaw causing me to flinch slightly. My body felt on fire along with my nerves, my breaths shallow and quick caused from fear and panic and not that other emotion. The need to escape was overwhelming.

" **You're mine** " he mumbled and growled along my skin as if to reassure himself but his words and touches I barely felt. I hardly registered his teeth gently tugging on one of my many earrings. The sound of my glass earring colliding with each other when he would let go was just a distant chime in my ear.

"Stopp..itt," I whimpered staring up at the water streaming down on me, I don't even remember when I started to stare up. During this moment, it was as if time slowed down and with my mouth slightly agape he pushed his fingers inside of my mouth at the same time he yanked the knot undone on my juban and that's when without thought I sunk my teeth into his fingers. Absolutely no thought was behind it, just pure and primal instinct that was always there that existed for the sole purpose of protecting me. And just as time felt as if it slowed down it sped up just as quickly. I pushed forward towards his right after releasing his bloody fingers from my mouth in an attempt to escape but he grabbed a fistful of the juban pulling me back, slamming me against the wall. The force knocked the wind from my lungs and my kimono slid off pooling at our feet in the tub.

He plastered me against the wall and the fingers of the hand I bit wrapped themselves around my neck. He pushed one of his legs in between mine and I knew if I let myself sink any further down the wall I would be straddling his leg, with only his pants separating my nakedness from his bare skin. The blood washed away as quickly as it welled up from his wounds, trailing down part of my chest and staining my juban red. His sharp nails dug into the soft flesh of my neck but still I wasn't afraid, I actually wished for death by his hands at least it would be peaceful and more preferable to other deaths or fates that could befall me.

His grip on my throat tightened as he inhaled a shaky breath, surely fighting the pain he felt because of his fingers. His eyes had closed as soon as I had clamped down on his fingers with my teeth but after what seemed like forever he let out an even more shaky breath even reopening his eyes. His eyes were mismatched just like mine, one eye belonging to Shukaku while the other belonged to him both staring intently in my own mismatched eyes. He was clearly angry but there was another emotion present, the same one I could never put a name to but I simply ignored it more focused on running away either through escape or death...

"Just kill me, I would prefer it to then being someone's bitch again" I hissed my hands desperately trying to pry his hand from neck to ease some of my discomfort caused from his hold around my throat.

His grip loosened around my throat somewhat, I wasn't sure if it was because of my words or not but I didn't have time to think too long about it. With his other hand he pried one of my hands away from his hand that currently held my throat. He held it in his hand and rubbed small circles on my palm before placing my hand on his cheek then forcing my hand to move down his neck to the first button on his shirt. While holding my hand he used his nail... well his claw to remove the first button from his shirt and we repeated the process until all the buttons were gone, the process lulling me into a trance making me forget some of my earlier panic.

Still holding my hand he pushed his shirt open revealing his naked chest and also the scar on his shoulder. I'm not sure what made me touch it that day on the train but the same thing that compelled me that day compelled me to touch it again. I moved my hand up, his hand allowing it and I touched the scar again, perhaps it reminded me of my own scars. He skin felt hot under my touch, much warmer than my own. I gently touched the scar liking how he trembled from my touch, at the moment I felt more in control and less panicky.

But that control didn't last very long because a few minutes later he pulled my hand down and over his heart. It surprised me how fast it was beating, it confused me as to what it meant as well and why he was showing it to me. I stared at his chest memorized by the sound of his heart beating in his chest but again, he didn't leave me to dwell on my thoughts and dragged my hand down his stomach stopping at his belt. I just stared at where my hand rested on his belt buckle confused as to why he forced my hand down there as well...

But then it clicked as my brain comprehend what my eyes were seeing, he had a bulge in his pants and from reading those books I linked everything together with my limited knowledge about the subject and what he expected me to do. "Fuck you, if you think I'm doing that," I hissed out trying to yank my hand back from his. His grip tightened around my throat again and he moved his head down so his hot breath tickled my ear and his wet hair plastered itself against my jaw and neck.

" **Keiko, be careful with your words right now.. because I would be glad to fulfill them,"** he murmured in my ear before nipping it using his teeth and tongue which only made me shiver. Another situation I had no idea what to do in, what was wrong with him, all this for revenge. My hesitation seemed to irritate him as he bit down on my ear and dug his claw into the back of my hand before whispering in my ear again in warning, " **Keiko** ".

I began fumbling with his belt buckle with shaky hands and he became impatient or annoyed perhaps both and let go of my hand to undo it for me then he undid the button and unzipped the zipper on his pants as well for me. Afterward, he recaptured my hand again guiding it where he wanted it, inhaling sharply when he placed my hand where he wanted it. He murmured my name again in my ear it sounded like he was pleading with me, " **Keiko** ".

I couldn't help by shake more, I had no idea what I was doing, my face was already hot in embarrassment. I held him in my hand trying to recall anything remotely useful from the book but my head was more focused about what I was being forced to hold. He felt very hot in my hand, much hotter than his hand or when I touched his chest... It was also too large for my hand to wrap around too...

"Gaara" I whimpered, my breaths quick and panicky. As if he could read my mind he moved our hands up his length and down it excruciatingly slow while soft moans escaped him and into my ear. The pressure on my neck disappeared to reappear on my bare shoulder, the movement surprised me slightly but I completely forgot about it as he began moving our hands up and down his length faster. Now that my hand was no longer trying to pull his hand off my neck I quickly latched it onto his shoulder to steady myself. I wrapped my arm around his neck digging and grabbing a handful of his jacket as if it was the only life preserver in an endless ocean.

My head was blank and I moved my hand to the rhythm his hand had created for me, the sensations of him in my hand and his hand moving down my back was overwhelming and the only noise coming from me were soft gasps as I tried desperately to breathe in enough air for my lungs. His hand on my back wasn't rough instead it was gentle, his fingers feather light across my skin tickling me causing me to arch my body inward and away from his hand. At some points, I felt like I couldn't breathe at all my lungs feeling like they had stopped functioning only for me gasp again filling my lungs with the much-needed oxygen.

His hand continued to move with my hand along his length, his other hand creeping further down my back before suddenly grabbing one of butt cheeks. I was taken aback from his action causing me to squeeze his length accidently. He let out a mix between a growl and a moan digging his claws into my butt cheek in retaliation, the pain causing me to ease up on my grip on his length and his hand making me resume the guided stroking. The hand that was on my ass dipped further down and I tried to pull away from it but it was no use as moving away from his hand only resulted in me being closer to him anyway.

His fingers began tentatively touching me there, skimming my opening but never breaching it. That place began to throb where his fingers were rubbing in rhythm with my stroking of his length. The throbbing I felt was an aching for something and I realized what that something was after what seemed like forever, I wanted his fingers within me moving like they were now. I tried to make words come out of my words to plead with him about what I needed but I couldn't get them out. I began to move my hand faster over his length frustrated I couldn't get the words out of my mouth only finding enough strength to gasp for air.

I wasn't sure why he did it but he pulled away from the place where it was throbbing to grabbed my already abused butt cheek again. I stopped breathing temporarily as he dugged his claws back into the sensitive skin and suddenly thrusting himself over and over again in my hand. I gasped loudly inhaling air again when I felt a hot and sticky substance cover my hand and a low guttural moan from Gaara echoed in the bathroom. I instantly pulled my hand away because his hand which held mine seconds ago had let go. I opened my eyes and stared at my hand, I saw only a hint of what I originally felt on my hand before the water finally washed the rest off. I was shocked and escaping wasn't on my mind so I just stared at my hand trying to comprehend what we just did. I felt him pull away from me but I was still in shock and wasn't paying attention to what he was doing.

I suppose I should have because he pulled me towards him and I immediately noticed a difference, he no longer was wearing clothing. I immediately shut my eyes trying to purge the image of what I just saw from my brain and to think I had no trouble looking at death or gruesome things but this I lost my composure growing embarrassed along with other things.

I tried to push him off of me but it did no good he was still able to take the juban off my shoulder with very little effort removing the last article clothing I had on shielding me from him. After my juban came off I realized how bare I was at that moment as I felt his eyes wander over my nakedness making me tremble. His raspy voice filled the bathroom once again, " **Keiko...ask me to make you come."** he demanded which only caused me to tremble more.

I would never beg even though seconds ago I was willing to and even though my body ached for that same release I had that day in his office and the same release he had just had but I found the strength to speak and I hoped it would carry the same pride and strength as my convictions did in my head. "No," I said and all my hopes were dashed as I ushered the word in a weak whisper which was bearable audible.

He had heard and simply answered me, "very well," before pulling me towards him again so my back faced his chest. I thought he was ignoring my refusal but I was surprised again when he went about washing me starting with my hair. He was very thorough and gentle making sure to remove all traces of soap from hair. I kept my eyes shut the whole time at first wishing for it to be over with but I began to enjoy him washing my hair half way through. The ache had lessen some but returned when he began washing my body. The whole ordeal was torture and it seemed to go on for hours before he finally turned the water off. I thought my ordeal had ended there but I was wrong. When he got out of the shower he pulled me out too and began drying me off with a towel after drying himself off.

I wanted to be far away from him but my body was like jello, I couldn't get myself to move the only thing keeping me up was his arm around my waist. My eyes remained closed the whole time his hands continued to learn my body, the only sounds I emitted were small and pitiful whimpers which he ignored. Using the towel he dried me completely spending extra time with the towel between my legs. After finishing drying me he wrapped a dry towel around me scooping me up in his arms in the process.

The reminding energy I had disappeared completely when he scooped me up in his arm and I couldn't remember when I had fallen asleep. I couldn't remember if I passed out in his arms or if I had ever made it to the bed I would find myself waking up in the next day.

* * *

Gaara woke up before Keiko, feeling satisfied but not entirely satisfied and wondered how long he could wait before he devoured her, hopefully, he could wait until their wedding night since it was only proper but if she was willing he would not say no. It was not long until that day but she kept so many secrets from him, he hoped dearly she would open up more before then sharing with him what haunts her in her dreams. It seemed like she slept better when he was near her and it made him happy he could at least hold off some of those nightmares that plague her dreams. He had more questions than he did before, such as who is Silver. All he knew is Kakashi stroke a striking resemblance to this man and she might have even loved this man but he didn't know for sure he had only what Kankuro had told him and what he heard himself. Then last night her words, ' _Just kill me, I would prefer it to then being someone's bitch again',_ bothered him. There was so much fear in those words and she rather be dead than have whatever she was referring to. It confused him but he would find out eventually he hoped.

He did know she pretended to hate him but her body said the opposite, he could feel how needy she was for him even last night she wanted the same relief he had but she denied herself that same pleasure. He wondered if it was because she was shy or it was some belief she had to hate him due to her upbringing. Other possibilities existed so he had to tempt her like those women had advise him to do when he found himself a wife who was not so eager to share his bed. He would have to thank Kankuro for bringing him to that place on his birthday last year otherwise he didn't think he would be making any progress with her. He would have to thank those women too.

He was annoyed he had become so smitten with her until he felt her snuggle closer to him and sighed, he would find out all her secrets eventually. She looked cute like this, no anger, hate, or irritation warping her face but even then he thought she was cute. She looked like an angry little animal when she was mad but he liked this side of her too, the side of her he was guessing very few or none at all have ever seen. Drool began to pool at the corner of her lip and he rubbed it away only for her to pull his finger in his mouth and begin sucking on it.

The action took him by surprise and it made him curious about what kind of dream she was having. She was cuter now than she was a few seconds ago, and he paused on the word cute, it was the first time he had ever used that word before and he used several times already to describe her. He sighed inwardly when he felt the Sand beast stirring in the recess of his mind conjuring pictures for him of Keiko sucking something other than his finger. The sand beast was satisfied for now just like him so he wasn't fighting for control at the moment but last night was a different story.

He had to fight Shukaku for control multiple times throughout the night at the restaurant but the last straw was when she had begged Kakashi to take her home and allow her to share his bed for the night. He had saw red and wanted to kill Kakashi and take her there on the table like an animal claiming her as his despite all her crying and screaming she would be most likely be doing if he complied with his desires. Instead, he had more control than that and he had yanked her away from Kakashi when she started spewing she loved Silver. He decided he was going to take her that night when he got back to the privacy of their room not caring if she wanted him to or not but when she snuggled up against him asking if they could go to bed it had soothed Shukaku and himself instantly. The best Gaara could describe it was Shukaku went from a snarling tiger to a purring house cat in an instant, Shukaku huffed in annoyance at Gaara's visual portrayal of him. When they got back to their room and he began undressing her he scented Kakashi's scent on her which caused him to snap which lead them here.

With another sigh, he laid back down facing Keiko, he pulled the blanket over her and decided he could get used to this lifestyle. He watched Keiko suck on his thumb and began listing all the positives this she-demon would bring to his life. One of the best ones was Shukaku letting him sleep, another one was the warmth of her body. Right now he could feel it coaxing him back to sleep his eyes sliding shut as he drifted back to sleep. His thoughts were all about Keiko and how he desired her heart but if he couldn't have it then he would have her body, her heart would come later hoping Shukaku's words would ring true...

Somewhere far a man sat upon a fallen and frozen throne watching the first snow of the season fall upon the barren ground. Snow had come late long past Christmas sticking to the frozen ground beginning true winter in the new year. Like his skin in this frigid landscape, his heart too was cold, he had no room for remorse or forgiveness. He had waited a long time for this revenge his people often dreamt of, the beast and those like it will breathe their last when they arrived. They had waited for so long for her to appear and the world of ninja would change again to once it was before...


End file.
